The subcommittee surveyed EHPC members and other government agencies to collect their definitions of environmental health. In addition, the subcommittee sought definitions from professional associations such as the National Environmental Health Association and the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The 28 definitions collected by the subcommittee and presented in this report should be viewed as a broad sweep of possible definitions and by no means the totality of existing definitions. The subcommittee acknowledges that each definition was developed thoughtfully and represents the views and needs of the defining agency or organization. The content of the 28 definitions thus varies, but it is possible, without rising to a level of formal analysis, to observe some features that are prevalent across the definitions.
All definitions mention human health, public health, or humans, or similar words.
In addition to mention of human health, some definitions mention ecologic health or ecological balances. A few definitions mention specific environmental stressors, such as physical, chemical, and biologic agents. Health is a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of infirmity or disease. Environmental health is the branch of public health that protects against the effects of environmental hazards that can adversely affect health or the ecological balances essential to human health and environmental quality. The Archives of Environmental Health publishes articles dealing with the effects of environmental agents on human health.