Health Care Happenings

Ever wondered how environmental contaminants in the community affect your health or that of your family?

Now you can find this information online by using the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.

This network, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides health and environmental data in one easy to find location that allows scientists, health professionals, and members of the public to track environmental exposure and some non-infectious health conditions.

Some of the ways it seeks to help prevent chronic illnesses, such as asthma, heart disease, lead poisoning and cancer are by educating people on the health risks possible from contaminants such as air pollution and the relationship to asthma, along with lead in drinking water and how it’s related to premature birth.

For the first time the Tracking Network connects a body of environmental and health information from multiple states and national sources that serves as a launching pad for further research.

Furthermore, this allows scientists and the public to better understand connections between environmental exposure and chronic health conditions.

For more information visit the CDC’s Tracking Network.