Frequently Asked Questions

Environmental Public Health Tracking

Some of the more frequently asked questions (FAQ) in EPHT involve the need for and use of the network. The objective of this article is to identify those questions and answer them.

How will Environmental Public Health Tracking make it easier to answer questions about how the environment can impact community health?
Why does it matter that Environmental Public Health Tracking brings together, for the first time, environmental data and public health data?
Will the EPHT Network be a national data system to track exposures and health effects that may be related to environmental hazards?
Will the EPHT Network show where diseases are?
Why is it important that the EPHT Network be able to identify potential environmental hazards to reduce likely exposures?
Will the EPHT Program improve early detection of diseases?
Will the EPHT Network prevent disease?
How will the EPHT Program improve my hometown?
How will the government use the EPHT Network?
Will the EPHT Network save the taxpayers money?
Will scientists use the EPHT Network to communicate environmental and health information?
Will the EPHT Program/Network provide the public with credible information about environment and disease?
Will patient privacy be protected?

More Frequently Asked Questions

How will Environmental Public Health Tracking make it easier to answer questions about how the environment can impact community health?
We will be able to better assess human exposure to environmental hazards, thereby improving the accuracy and speed of public health action.

Why does it matter that Environmental Public Health Tracking brings together, for the first time, environmental data and public health data?
The CDC is working with other government agencies and partners to utilize existing information systems for environmental public health tracking and to identify information gaps.  We will gather data about human exposure to environmental factors – including air pollution, pesticides, waste sites, weather extremes, water pollution, and other factors.  We will also gather information on adverse health effects from disease registries and other sources.  By working together, we will be better equipped to identify problems and effective solutions.  This will result in reducing the burden of environmentally related diseases on the American population.

Will the EPHT Network be a national data system to track exposures and health effects that may be related to environmental hazards?
The National EPHT Program is a CDC-led initiative.  The EPHT Network will be available at the state and national level.

Will the EPHT Network show where diseases are?
Tracking allows for identification of unusual patterns or disease.  Practicing physicians can apply the knowledge gained from the network in treatment/patient care and public health researchers need this information to better study how environment impacts health status.

Why is it important that the EPHT Network be able to identify potential environmental hazards to reduce likely exposures?
Identification of environmental hazards allows for better exposure assessment.  The EPHT Program/Network will reduce the time and resources needed to respond to public concerns.  Practicing physicians can be made aware of potential environmental risks within the community.  The EPA and other regulators need to understand which environmental problems can and/or could affect health.

Will the EPHT Program improve early detection of diseases?
Knowing where diseases are more prevalent may allow for more timely diagnosis.  The CDC estimates that some diseases thought to be affected by the environment, e.g., asthma, have risen by 70% since the 1980s.  Early detection allows effective and targeted public health actions leading to healthier communities.

Will the EPHT Network prevent disease?
Better information is needed to successfully prevent and control environmentally related health problems in our communities.  In 2001, the PEW Environmental commission brought this issue to national attention in its report for Congress that called for action to fill what it called, “America’s Environmental Health Gap.” 

There are many suspected associations between environmental exposures and health effects that need further research.  Although better detection methods is a major reason why the rates of some health problems have increased, researchers don’t think that this reason alone can explain the increase. 

Better information will trigger more immediate action to prevent and assist in controlling environmentally related health problems.  The public health successes of the 20th century have increased life spans and eliminated infectious disease as the leading cause of death.  Historically, disease tracking has resulted in public health actions such as improved sanitation and hygiene, chlorinated drinking water, and improvements to food safety.  Tracking conditions can provide more and better scientific data to help doctors, researchers, and public health officials improve treatment plans and prevent the disease.

How will the EPHT Program improve my hometown?
The EPHT Program/Network will help to protect communities from adverse environmental health effects by providing more accurate information for use in health studies and improve efforts to identify causes of, and prevent, future health problems.  Use of environmental public health tracking will aid in identifying clusters of non-infectious health effects.  In addition tracking conditions can provide more and better scientific data to help doctors, researchers, and public health officials improve treatment plans and prevent disease.

How will the government use the EPHT Network?
The EPHTN will be used by federal, state, and local regulators/officials to help reduce the burden of adverse environmental related health effects in communities.  Officials will use information obtained from the EPHTN to plan, apply, and evaluate public health actions to prevent and control environmentally related diseases.  The network will be available at the state and national level.  In addition, the CDC is working with other government agencies and partners to utilize existing information systems to identify information gaps.

Will the EPHT Network save the taxpayers money?
The EPHTN will enable health care dollars to be directed toward prevention instead of treatment.  Health care dollars will go toward areas that need the most help – those areas with higher numbers of health problems linked to environmental hazards.  The network will assist in measuring the effects of regulatory and prevention strategies.

Will scientists use the EPHT Network to communicate environmental and health information?
The EPHT Network can be used to generate and test hypotheses.  The studies generated can drive public health actions, policies, and practices.

Will the EPHT Program/Network provide the public with credible information about environment and disease?
The EPHT Program/Network will provide the community and physicians with credible information that can help in identifying unusual events.  Ongoing systematic data collection allows communities to better understand health status and actions they can take to improve health.

Will patient privacy be protected?
Federal law will continue to protect privacy (HIPAA).  Public health agencies will continue to be protectors of data.  All requests for health information must be reviewed and approved by governing bodies.  Agreements between agencies protect information and how it is used.  All users must sign confidentiality agreements to ensure privacy.  Information will be stored in a secure environment.  Access to the data will be restricted.  Sharing of information is necessary, but strictly controlled.  All agencies and individuals are held accountable by law.  The consequences are severe and penalties include prosecution and fines.  Only authorized public health researchers will have access.