© 1972 Oxford University Press
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Epidemiology and Environmental Health Policy
1 Environmental Epidemiology Unit, California State Department of Public Health Berkeley, California, U.S.A.
Goldsmith, J. R. (Environmental Epidemiology Unit, California State Department of Public Health, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.). Epidemiology and Environmental Health Policy. Int. J. Epid. 1972,1: 93–100.
Epidemiological studies have long provided a basis for health policy for such environmental exposures as microbiological contaminants in drinking water, arthropod vectors, and occupational exposures. In these cases, disease states are the health effects of relevance. New applications of epidemiology to environmental health policy necessitate the inclusion of such exposures or reactions as drug reactions, noise, housing, accidents, air pollution, pesticides, chemical water pollutants, and radiation. In dealing with these, non-disease effects have been shown to be important, new or specially developed statistical or survey methods are often required, and improved environmental measurements are assuming greater prominence. Interactions of multiple pollutants and multiple sources of exposure, including cigarette smoking, are common.
For illustration, epidemiological studies which have influenced the air quality criteria of the U.S. are cited. Through air quality standards, these are influencing air pollution control policy. The American Public Health Association has recently modified its Basic Principles of Healthful Housing to reflect the data on health effects (including annoyance) due to noise. Epidemiological analyses of the effects of pollutants from fossil-fueled and nuclear-fueled power plants are currently influencing power plant siting, control, and development policies.
Obstacles to further applications of epidemiology to environmental health policy are discussed.