Environmental Justice
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Environmental justice is the fair treatment of all people with respect to the development, adoption, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Environmental justice is the right to a safe, healthy, productive, and sustainable environment, where "environment" is considered in its totality to include the ecological, physical, social, political, aesthetic, and economic environment. Environmental justice addresses the disproportionate environmental risks borne by low-income communities and communities of color resulting from poor housing stock, poor nutrition, lack of access to health care, unemployment, underemployment, and employment in the most hazardous jobs.
The Environmental Protection Agency has requested comments on Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice (Plan EJ 2014) by Oct. 1, 2010. Plan EJ 2014 will implement and strengthen efforts on environmental justice over the next four years. In order to submit your comments and get more information, including access to Plan EJ 2014, please click on the "more" link below. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry created the National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures" to develop an action agenda that can help government agencies and other organizations strengthen their efforts to protect the public from harmful chemical exposures. To this effort, NACCHO has contributed the report National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures: Local Public Health Perspectives. The report presents barriers and successes that local health departments (LHDs) have encountered in addressing chemical exposures as well as LHD recommendations for improving policies and practices regarding chemical exposures. More » 
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and CDC's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) have launched a National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures and are working with government, non-governmental agencies, business, industry, and members of the public to create an action agenda. The agenda will outline how the United States can meet public health goals and achieve the NCEH/ATSDR vision that they will use and manage chemicals in ways that are safe and healthy for all people. The goals of the National Conversation will be accomplished by creating a well-informed public and healthcare provider network, involving the public in government decisions, and encouraging partnerships among key groups and agencies. More » |
