Environmental Policy and Regulation PHHE: 351
Environmental Policy and Regulation PHHE: 351
ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Learning Objectives By the end of this chapter the reader will be able to: ►Contrast key environmental health regulatory agencies at three levels. ►State four principles that guide environmental policy development. ►Compare five major environmental laws. ►Describe environmental policies designed to protect vulnerable groups. ►Apply the steps in the policy-making process to a specific example. Role of Policy and Environmental Challenges Environmental Policy ► “A statement by an organization [either public, such as government, or private] of its intentions and principles in relation to its overall environmental performance. Environmental policy provides a framework for action and for the setting of its environmental objectives and target” ► Example: United States: the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 Principles of Environmental Policy Development ► Precautionary Principle States that “preventive, anticipatory measures . . . [should] be taken when an activity raises threats of harm to the environment, wildlife, or human health, even if some cause-andeffect relationships are not fully established” ► Environmental Justice Denotes the equal treatment of all people in society irrespective of their racial background, country of origin, and socioeconomic status ► Environmental Sustainability Adheres to the philosophical viewpoint “that a strong, just, and wealthy society can be consistent with a clean environment, healthy ecosystems, and a beautiful planet” PolluterPays Principle ► “Polluter should bear the expenses of carrying out the pollution prevention and control measures . . . to ensure that the environment is in an acceptable state” The Policy Cycle Relationship of Risk Assessment to Policy Process ► Risk assessment is closely aligned with the policy process through the balancing of economic and other costs with health and societal benefits that may accrue through specific policy alternatives. ► Involves the adoption of steps to eliminate identified risks or lower them to acceptable levels ► Risk Management ► Often determined by a government agency that has taken into account input from the public Examples ► Licensing laws ► Standard-setting laws ► Control-oriented measures ► Monitoring Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ► Process that reviews the potential impact of anthropogenic activities with respect to their general environmental consequences Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Case Studies of Environmental Health Policies Overview of environmental health regulation agencies World Health Organization (WHO) ► Major international agency ► Responsible for environmental health at the global level ► Provides leadership in minimizing adverse environmental health outcomes associated with pollution, industrial development, and related issues US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ► Mission: protect human health and the environment ► Established by the White House and Congress in July of 1970 in response to the growing public demand for cleaner water, air, and land National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ► Federal agency ► Responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness ► Created in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Clean Air Act of 1970 ► Comprehensive federal law ► Regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources ► Authorizes EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and public welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants Clean Water Act Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 ► Established to protect the quality of drinking water in the US ► Authorizes EPA to establish minimum standards to protect tap water ► Requires all owners or operators of public water systems to comply with these primary (healthrelated) standards National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ► One of the first laws ever written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting our environment ► NEPA’s basic policy is to ensure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment before undertaking major federal action that significantly affects the environment. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) of 1996 ► Provides for federal regulation of pesticide distribution, sale, and use ► All pesticides distributed or sold in the US must be registered (licensed) by EPA. ► Before EPA registers a pesticide under FIFRA, the applicant must show that using the pesticide according to specifications “will not generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.” Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 ► Provides EPA with authority to require reporting, recordkeeping, and testing requirements, and restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures ► Various sections of TSCA provide authority to maintain the TSCA Inventory, under Section 8, which contains more than 83,000 chemicals CERCLA 1980 ► Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ► Provides federal “Superfund” to clean up waste ► ► Uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites ► Accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment EPA was given power to seek out those parties responsible for any release and ensure their cooperation in the cleanup. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 ► EPA controls hazardous waste from the “cradle-tograve.” ► Includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste ► Enabled EPA to address environmental problems that could result from underground storage tanks ► Focuses on waste minimization and phasing out land disposal of hazardous waste as well as corrective action for releases Endangered Species Act of 1973 ► Provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found ► The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) maintains a worldwide list of endangered species ► Birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees Week 3: Environmental Policy and Regulation *Numbers correlate with end of chapter questions 4. Cite the EPA’s statement on environmental justice. What does the term fair treatment mean? (1/4 point) 8. List and define the stages of the policy cycle. Explain how environmental health research is a component of the policy cycle. How does the environmental health research contribute to the implementation of sound environmental policies? (1/2 point) 9. Explain how risk assessment aligns with policy development. Give an example. (1/4 point) 13. Describe the role of each of the following agencies in policy formation and in protecting the environment: (1/2 point) a. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) b. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) c. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) d. European Environment Agency (EEA) e. World Health Organization (WHO) 14. Define the following environmental acts and explain how they have helped to ensure a safe environment in the United Sates: (1/2 point) a. Clean Water Act b. Safe Drinking Water Act c. National Environmental Policy Act d. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act e. Toxic Substances Control Act f. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act g. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act h. Occupational Safety and Health Act i. Endangered Species Act
