Hazardous Sites and Substances

Public health activities related to contaminant releases include:

• Health evaluations of contaminant releases at sites containing hazardous substances. Assessment of: 1) contaminant levels in soil, sediments, water, and air; 2) contaminant transport and environmental fate; 3) contaminant toxicity; and 4) exposure pathways.
• Technical assistance to other governmental agencies and local government bodies on environmental health issues, to inform regulatory actions and decision-making that protects health.
• Health education activities for community members to ensure people who live near contaminated sites understand how to reduce/eliminate their exposure and protect their health.
• Community engagement to inform people of the environmental health evaluation results and recommendations through public comment opportunities, participation in community meetings, distributing electronic and print materials, and through media releases.
• Education and training of health care providers to build capacity in the health professional community for responding to concerns related to exposures to environmental contaminants.