Topic Pages
Our topic pages introduce the reader to important and emerging environmental public health issues through a curated list of NCCEH and external resources. The most relevant resources have been selected to best guide the search for further information. Topic pages are reviewed and updated with new content periodically. These lists are not intended to be exhaustive, and the omission of any individual resource does not preclude it from having value.
Recreational waters such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and their associated beaches, attract large numbers of users engaging in primary contact activities (e.g., swimming, water skiing, surfing, paddle…
Public swimming pools, hot tubs, splash parks, wading pools, and other treated recreational water facilities are regulated at the provincial or territorial level with respect to design, construction…
Legionella is naturally occurring waterborne bacteria that can survive within building water systems and multiply under ideal conditions that include warm temperature (e.g., 25-45°C), lack of…
Marine shellfish poisoning refers to illnesses caused by eating marine bivalve shellfish (e.g., clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, cockles) that contain biotoxins, which shellfish can accumulate when…
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms to survive in the presence of drugs meant to inhibit or kill them. AMR poses a serious threat to human health, and risks the emergence…
This topic page is intended to help environmental health practitioners understand the guiding principles and public health objectives being used to develop cannabis policy, both federally and across…
A health impact assessment (HIA) is a process that strategically evaluates the potential effect on health of a policy, plan or project. The assessment generally takes place in a series of steps, each…
The provision of safe drinking water across Canada is a responsibility shared across many agencies. At the federal level, Health Canada sets Drinking Water Guidelines for contaminants in drinking…
Oil spills are very complex events that, depending on where they occur, may result in acute exposures to nearby human populations. Regardless of the presence of humans, however, oil spills have the…
The definition of “ethnic food” depends on the geographic and cultural context in which the cuisine is found. Broadly speaking, ethnic foods are defined by others outside of the respective ethnic…