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NCCEH (Environmental Health)

Mandate

The National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health (NCCEH) focuses on the health risks associated with the physical environment and identifies evidence-based interventions to reduce those risks. Working with environmental health practitioners, policy makers and researchers, the NCCEH identifies priority issues, collects information and produces relevant documents and directories that can be used in practice and policy.

Goals

  • Synthesize, translate and exchange knowledge for practitioners and policy makers in Canada.
  • Identify key gaps in research and practice knowledge.
  • Build capacity through networks of practitioners, policy makers and researchers in environmental health in Canada and internationally.

Work to Date

  • Conducted two environmental scans with extensive input from practitioners, policy makers and researchers in Canada to identify priority needs.

  • Established a national advisory board to advise on the work of the NCCEH.

  • Enhanced our bilingual website to provide a vehicle for sharing information and making connections, e.g., directories of environmental health legislation, practicum placements, continuing education, journal article summaries, and additional resources.

  • Produced evidence reviews in collaboration with practitioners and policy makers on topics such as the environmental burden of disease in Canada, mould assessment and remediation, tanning and skin cancer, church/community suppers and food-borne illness, and wind turbines and health.

  • Developed workshops on, e.g., air quality assessment, built environment, personal service establishments, risk communication, safe drinking water and evidence-informed decision making, in partnership with organizations including the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI) and NCCMT.

  • Conducted a project to enumerate past cases of waterborne illnesses in Canada and identify drinking water system risk factors associated with them, guided by a steering committee of practitioners, policy makers and researchers.

  • Conducted a pilot project to review evidence-based articles on heat protection advice for the public through online collaboration.

  • Conducted a project to collect information on environmental health programs and services in Canada, current projects that health agencies are conducting, and innovative practices occurring within agencies, with CIPHI.

  • Developed a framework to evaluate the work of the NCCEH and subsequently conducted two evaluations.

Current Activities 2011-2012

  • Producing additional documents on topics such as traffic air pollution, Farmers' markets, cultural foods, residential pesticide exposure, and efficacy of inspections for reducing food-borne illness.

  • Offering secondments and practicums.

  • Offering workshops and presentations on, e.g., built environment, risk communication, and evidence-informed decision making in environmental health.

  • Developing a workshop on public health ethics and cultural respect, with CIPHI and NCCHPP.

  • As part of the NCCs' project on small drinking water systems, NCCEH is collecting information on provincial/territorial roles and responsibilities and on treatment technologies.

  • Conducting a project on healthy built environments and, e.g., developing an inventory of tools and practices to support them, with the Urban Public Health Network.

  • Conducting a project on personal service establishments, including a review of infection risk and an overview of tools used in piercing.

  • Conducting a project on outdoor air and, e.g., producing a guide on air quality assessment tools.

  • Collecting case studies on risk communication.

  • Expanding and updating our website, e.g., the directories of programs and services, health agency projects, innovative practices, practice questions and ethical dilemmas.

  • Participating in national and regional working groups on topics such as personal service establishments, air quality (indoor, outdoor), built environment, drinking water, and First Nations environmental health.

  • Evaluating NCCEH activities and products.

Host

British Columbia Centre for Disease Control

Contact Information

National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health
400 East Tower
555 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 3X7

Phone: 604-707-2445
Fax: 604-707-2444
email: contact@ncceh.ca

www.ncceh.ca