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Topic Pages
Topic Pages introduce an aspect of the environment and its relation to public health by featuring a curated shortlist of NCCEH and external resources. The most relevant resources related to a topic have been selected to best guide the search for further information. These lists are not intended to be exhaustive, and the omission of any individual resource does not preclude it from having value.
Topics:
COVID-19, Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Response
The goal of any public health emergency is to help as many people as quickly as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new dimension to emergency management. Not only has COVID-19 made it…
Topics:
Indoor Air, Mould
Mould is a ubiquitous fungus in outdoor environments that inevitably makes its way indoors. The general population is commonly exposed to mould through inhalation, and less commonly through direct…
Topics:
Contaminants and Hazards, Pesticides
Neonicotinoids (also referred to as “neonics”) are insecticides derived from nicotine. They act by binding strongly to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the central nervous system of insects,…
Indigenous communities may be disproportionately impacted by a variety of emergencies and disasters, including floods, wildfires, and crude…
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…
Topics:
Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Response, Flooding
A number of extreme flooding events have occurred in Canada over the last few decades, and as a result of climate change, are growing in both frequency and magnitude.…
According to Environment Canada, a heat wave is a period of more than 3 days when temperatures are more than 32°C (…
Topics:
Legionella, Recreational Water, Water
Public swimming pools, hot tubs, splash parks, wading pools, and other treated recreational water facilities are popular recreational water venues, which are regulated at the provincial or…
The frequency and intensity of Canadian wildfires is increasing as a consequence of the changing global climate, as well as long-standing forest management practices (…
Background
Aspects of the built environment, including man-made and natural features, impact human health directly and indirectly through air quality, traffic injuries, and toxic…
Topics:
Pesticides
Pesticides are chemicals developed to prevent or destroy unwanted species including insects (insecticides) and weeds (herbicides). Organochlorines and organophosphates, developed prior to the…
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, colourless, and non-irritating gas that is harmful to humans. As a by-product of incomplete combustion, CO is produced by fuel-burning appliances including…
Topics:
Built Environment, Pest Control
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, elusive, and resilient insects that live by feeding on the blood of mammals, including humans. Bed bug infestations have become prominent worldwide…