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.
Flooding is the most common climate-related disaster globally, and floods are increasing in frequency across Canada. Floods have a significant and long-term impact on community mental health and…
Outbreaks of infectious foodborne diseases continue to affect populations across Canada, with potentially severe impacts on susceptible groups such as children, older adults, immune compromised…
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…
Climate change is driving an increase in daily extreme precipitation in Canada, which when combined with other landscape factors, such as urbanization, deforestation, and loss of wetlands, can result…
Radon gas is a colourless, odourless, radioactive gas that is released during the decay of uranium in rocks and soils. Radon levels outdoors are generally low, but radon gas indoors poses more of a…
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…
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,…
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…