Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is environmental health tracking?

Tracking of environmental hazards and human health effects is a key step in assessing our current state and future needs. Without a clear picture of the when, where, and how people become ill or stay healthy, it's difficult to discover outbreaks or plan for health improvements. We all know that conditions such as clean water, fresh air, clean buildings, and safe food are closely related to human health, but we rarely track these factors together.
 

Why is an environmental health tracking system needed?

Currently, few systems exist to track many of the exposures and health effects that may be related to environmental hazards. Because existing systems are not linked, it is difficult to study and monitor relationships among hazards, exposures, and health effects. In 2001, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded 21 states, three cities, and three universities to assist in the creation of a National Environmental Health Tracking Network. This network will provide the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, and interpretation and dissemination of data about environmental hazards, exposure, and human health effects.
 

How will the NH Environmental Health Tracking Program work?

As a cooperative effort of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Environmental Services (DES), the program combines the resources and talents of two agencies in order to promote efficient information sharing between public health and environmental resources. The program will assess the status of environmental health in New Hampshire and provide state-level data to the National Environmental Health Tracking Network in Atlanta, GA.

When established, the NH Environmental Health Tracking program will improve the compatibility of existing data sources; prioritize the risks to human health that are linked to environmental hazards; provide objective data concerning environmental hazards and disease outcomes; provide streamlined data-based information to assist in developing effective solutions toward the reduction of illness, injury, and disability caused by environmental hazards; and provide research-based information to the general public to facilitate personal health decision-making based on fact.