U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2007–3111

December 2007

FACING TOMORROW’S CHALLENGES: USGS SCIENCE IN THE DECADE 2007–2017

The Role of Environment and Wildlife in Human Health

Printed on recycled paper

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a science strategy outlining 

the major natural science issues facing the Nation in the next decade. The science 

strategy consists of six science directions of critical importance, focusing on areas 

where natural science can make a substantial contribution to the well-being of the 

Nation and the world. This fact sheet focuses on the role of environment and wildlife 

in human health and how USGS research can strengthen the Nation with information 

needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Importance of Research on 

Environment/Wildlife/HumanHealth Interactions

Environmental health threats to 

the Nation’s citizens are an inescapable 

consequence of the interactions between 

people and their physical, chemical, and 

biological environment. As towns and cities expand, the wildland-urban interface 

broadens and human-wildlife interactions 

are increasingly frequent. The emergence 

of many new human diseases in recent 

years is directly related to worldwide 

increases in population density, mobility, and environmental disruption. Many 

public health issues affecting Americans, 

such as avian influenza (“bird flu”), 

originate outside our borders, requiring 

the Nation to maintain global vigilance 

for potential health threats. Major health 

threats also arise from naturally occurring 

toxicants and anthropogenically derived 

environmental contaminants. Such 

contaminants are increasingly appearing 

in natural ecosystems. Some of these contaminants are bioaccumulative; they persist in the environment and accumulate in 

living organisms and tend to increase up 

the food chain. The health consequences 

of chronic exposure of low levels of these 

substances are commonly unknown but 

potentially important.

Why Action Is Needed Now

The current (2007) health problems caused by zoonotic diseases (that 

is, those transmissible between animals 

and humans, such as West Nile virus 

and avian influenza) and environmental 

contamination (for example, mercury in 

fish, arsenic in water, naturally present asbestos) are not isolated examples. 

Future generations will continue to be 

affected by many of the diseases that 

have emerged or resurged during the past 

quarter-century, regardless of whether 

the causes are chemical, microbial, or 

parasitic. Dealing with emerging and 

resurging diseases requires the ability 

to anticipate potential environmental 

and ecosystem health threats, recognize 

pathogens or contaminants when they 

first appear, and respond quickly and 

appropriately.

Environmentally related diseases 

inevitably will increase as the isolation previously provided by walls of 

geographic distance are removed and 

the opportunity for the spread of once 

isolated diseases increases. Public health 

risks will further intensify as population 

growth continues, bringing with it associated pressures of development, resource 

use, and habitat modification. Chemical 

and microbial contaminants will increasingly affect the quality of water, air, and 

consumables.

★ Ecosystems Climate Energy and Minerals Natural Hazards ★ ★ ★ ★ Environment and Human Health ★ ★ Water

Bird Deaths from West Nile Virus

EXPLANATION

Positive test results

Samples submitted

No data

Bird deaths from West Nile virus infections January 1 to July 11, 2006. Birds are 

sentinels of human exposure to this virus, which is transferred to people by mosquitoes. 

The national dead-bird infection data can be translated into an epidemiological tool 

by adding information on climate, land use, and human demographics that are related 

to incidence, prevalence, and persistence in human exposure to existing mosquito 

populations.
How the USGS Can Help

As the only integrated natural 

resources research bureau in the Federal Government, USGS is the primary 

governmental agency responsible for 

monitoring wildlife (Migratory Bird 

Treaty Act of 1918) and is at the forefront of identifying wild animal disease 

reservoirs. With this expertise, USGS 

science complements and can augment public health decisionmaking in 

America. In addition, USGS serves as 

an unbiased translator of environmental 

information to help address public health 

needs. USGS scientists have a national 

scope and transdisciplinary approach 

to addressing environmental aspects of 

human health issues and are among the 

world’s experts on wild animal disease 

transmission to humans, drinking-water 

contaminants, air-dust-soil-sediment-rock 

contaminants, pathogens in recreational 

water, and the use of wild animals as sentinels of human health (see http://health.

usgs.gov/). The position of USGS as a 

nonregulatory agency, with capabilities 

in environmental monitoring and mapping at all scales from national to local, 

and the ability to understand environmental and ecological processes, is found 

nowhere else in the Federal Government. 

Thus, the USGS is uniquely qualified to 

provide the information needed to link 

environmental and human health issues. 

To use this expertise in support of the 

Nation’s health needs, the USGS will 

fully integrate its massive data holdings 

and produce a national database and atlas 

of geology- and ecology-sourced diseases 

and toxicants. Once this atlas is in place, 

the USGS will partner with allied health 

science agencies to support spatially 

related health issues.

EXPLANATION

0 - 2

3

4

5 - 6

7 - 8

Sensitivity Score

Mercury vulnerability map for aquatic ecosystems in the contiguous 48 States—Mercury 

in fish is the primary route of exposure for people and fish-eating wildlife. The mercury 

vulnerability map above shows areas where production of methylmercury (the most toxic 

form of mercury) is most likely to take place if inorganic mercury is present. The map is based 

on USGS water-chemistry data from more than 55,000 sites and 2,500 watersheds; higher 

values indicate greater vulnerability.

USGS Science Can Meet the Challenge

The USGS is ready to take action by:

•	 Developing an online data atlas of potential environmental health threats that 

consolidates USGS data and information and provides data for researchers and 

public-health agencies to enhance the Nation’s ability to respond quickly to 

current threats and anticipate potential future zoonotic and contaminant health 

threats.

•	 Creating new partnerships, strengthening existing partnerships, and enhancing 

collaboration with other entities charged with responsibility for environmental 

and public health. Increased levels of collaboration at all levels are needed to 

address the Nation’s environmental health-related issues.

•	 Enhancing rapid and long-term response teams to evaluate short- and long-term 

health implications of disasters; identifying and assessing the changing patterns 

and root environmental factors related to chronic and emerging diseases.

•	 Developing and implementing a national-scale, environmental health information system that combines biological, water-quality, and geologic information 

with GIS decision-support tools.

•	 Publishing a report every half decade that includes the status and trends in environmental, animal, and earth science information. The report will describe the 

way conditions are changing, present new findings relating to public health, and 

explain the methodological and research contributions that USGS has made and 

transferred to management of soil, vegetation, freshwater, and oceans.

A Vision For the Future

The USGS works with health 

agencies to develop and maintain 

an international database and atlas 

of wildlife- and geology-sourced 

diseases and toxicants and a nationalscale environmental health information system. Improved strategies to 

mitigate diseases and toxicants are 

based on USGS research to identify 

and understand pathways through 

which toxicants and animal-borne 

diseases migrate in the environment 

and the processes by which they are 

transferred to people from environmental sources.

For Additional Information

U.S. Geological Survey, 2007, Facing 

Tomorrow’s Challenges—U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 

2007–2017: Available online at http://

pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/cir/cir1309

Also, visit the USGS home page at 

http://www.usgs.gov/