Environmental Public Health Law
Most people dread being the subject of interest for doctors, scientists, regulators and lawyers. While we may joke about the arrogance of the medical profession and the aggressiveness of the legal field, both lie at the core of environmental public health (EPH). They are inseparable, sometimes complementary and other times in tension. The role of medicine and science in EPH is clear, but their relationship with law is often opaque. Yet in no other area of public health, from infectious and chronic disease prevention to providing health care in underserved communities, is law so central as an instrument and partner.
In this article we explore the relationship of law and science in the broader context of EPH, beginning with an overview of potential goals and challenges. We then offer three organizing principles that inform and guide the integration of law, science and policy in EPH.
- A strong ethos of prevention;
- a systems view of the natural, social, and political environments in which we work; and
- a profound commitment to transdisciplinary work.
Preface: Connecting Public Health Law, Practice, Policy, and Research
- 1. Lawyers, Guns, and Money
- 2. Making the Case for Laws that Improve Health
- 3. What Gets Measured, Gets Changed
- 4. Health in All Policies
- 5. The Potential of Shared Decision Making to Reduce Health Disparities
- 6. Environmental Public Health Law
- 7. State Boards of Health
- 8. Policy Issues in American Indian Health Governance
- 9. Global Public Health Legal Responses to H1N1
- 10. Public Health Preparedness Laws and Policies
- 11. Protecting the Mental Health of First Responders
- 12. Five Legal Preparedness Challenges for Responding to Future Public Health Emergencies
- 13. Implementing Health Reform at the State Level
- 14. Meaningful Use and Certification of Health Information Technology
- 15. Right to Health Litigation and HIV/AIDS Policy
- 16. The Role of Federal Preemption in Injury Prevention Litigation
- 17. Regulating Food Retail for Obesity Prevention
- 18. Pursuing Health Equity
- 19. The Michigan BioTrust for Health
- 20. Becoming the Standard