Tracking Environmental Health Hazards

Programs

Providing vital environmental health data

About

In July 2009, the CDC launched the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (EPHT). The Network is a web-based system that will bring together data from several systems that look at environmental hazard monitoring, human exposure surveillance and health effects surveillance. Information from the Network will help local, state and federal agencies develop and evaluate actions that improve public health.
CDC's Tracking Widget

ASTHO has partered with CDC's Network since 2002 and played a crucial role in guiding the Network’s development. ASTHO has served as the voice of unfunded health departments by communicating messages, success stories, and benefits to public health officials and policymakers in unfunded states. ASTHO has been key in sponsoring meetings between state Tracking staff with local environmental and public health staff in their states. In addition, ASTHO staff has represented the tracking program at conferences around the country and were pivotal in developing a Data Stewards package to help local and state tracking participants talk to their data stewards for collaboration.

Publications and Other Resources

ASTHO Position Statement on Environmental Public Health Tracking (pdf)

ASTHO recognizes the development of the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network as an important public health initiative.

Environmental Public Health Tracking 101 (external site)

The CDC, in cooperation with the National Environmental Health Association NEHA is offering a free course entitled, Tracking 101. The course gives an overview of the major components of Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT).

EPHT Facilitated Discussions (external site)

The Tracking facilitated discussions are sponsored by ASTHO and the National Association of County and City Health Officials with support from CDC. The purpose of this discussion is to reach out to local health agencies and community stakeholders and to examine how the EPHT Network can function most effectively for users at the community level. The discussions also aim to develop strategies on how state health agencies and local health departments can most effectively communicate and collaborate on tracking projects.

Keeping Track, Promoting Health (pdf)

This book highlights the successes and challenges of the first four years of the Tracking Program.

Louisiana: EPHT Fellowship Report (pdf)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and applications of a surveillance system which tracks blood mercury and fish-tissue mercury. Issues encountered in setting up a novel surveillance system to track and evaluate Louisiana’s residential blood mercury levels and fish-tissue mercury levels are presented here along with the results of a preliminary review of these data.