Environmental Public Health Tracking in England- support for Health Impact Assessments

Abstract Environmental epidemiology is a key function for the public health service with regards to investigating the public health effects of environmental hazards, monitoring the public health efforts to control the environmental risks, and providing the evidence that informs decisions making and preparedness. At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Programme, initiated in 2010, has developed a number of data streams to help link environment and health data, to support Health Impact Assessment (HIA). The main aims of the EPHT programme in England are to: 1. Identify populations at risk from exposure to significant environmental and chemical hazards 2. Investigate relationships between hazard and disease 3. Inform public health policy making 4. Optimise intervention and prevention strategies 5. Generate hypotheses for further research. Such EPHT functions are based on three key components: a) by building a national EPHT program that integrates surveillance of environmental hazards, exposures and related health outcomes, to allow data linkage and assessment of environmental and health information; b) strengthening the epidemiology science, by conducting research and training of the workforce and c) developing strategies for response to immediate risks, incidents and preparing for future risks. Examples to support HIA include a) developing an air pollution exposure surveillance work programme, that has designed a pilot population vulnerability indicator; b) developing indicators for climate change impacts for public health, c) reporting regularly on the health impacts of public fluoridation water supply schemes (as mandated by Government) and d) exploring risk factors associated with elevated blood lead concentration in children, through laboratory reporting to surveillance systems. The talk will highlight some examples of practice and outline how the EPHT programme in England has supported HIA practices.