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.
Lead is a naturally occurring toxic metal that can be harmful to human health. Health effects of lead exposure can include neurological, cardiovascular, renal, immunological, reproductive and…
Climate change is generally expected to lead to warmer winters, while paradoxically, arctic warming is also leading to more extreme cold events. However, defining extreme cold is difficult in a place…
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…
The definition and regulatory oversight of small drinking water systems (SDWS) across Canada varies by provincial and federal jurisdictions. A small system may be defined by size, or by who owns and…
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…
The frequency and intensity of Canadian wildfires is increasing due to the changing global climate, as well as long-standing forest management practices. Ever-worsening fire seasons impact…
(Last updated: June 2021)
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted major cities around the world, leading to businesses and public facilities closures and stay-at-home orders. Public transit ridership…
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…