gency. Topics include food safety, flooding, infection control, water, wastewater, and more. Our popular Environmental Health Train- ing in Emergency Response (EHTER) course is available for environmental health and other emergency response personnel. EHTER includes an online course (awareness level) and in-person course (operations level), both of which are oered in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The operations-level course includes the opportunity to practice applying knowledge, skills, and abilities in response to simulated events. This 40-hr course takes place at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Pre- paredness in Anniston, Alabama. FEMA cov- ers all training costs (e.g., travel, lodging, meals) for state, tribal, local, and territorial responders taking the course. Stay in Touch In addition to using the website, we hope you stay connected with us through our environ- mental health newsletter. We announce new resources 2–4 times a month in this short, highly visual format. Visit www.cdc.gov/ environmental-health-services/php/about/ resources.html to access the resources men- tioned above and sign up for the newsletter. Corresponding Author: Maggie Byrne, Public Health Advisor, National Center for Environ- mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, Mail- stop S-106-6, Atlanta, GA 30341. Email: mbyrne@cdc.gov References Clopper, B.R., Kunz, J.M., Salandy, S.W., Smith, J.C., Hubbard, B.C., & Sarisky, J.P. (2021). A methodology for classifying root causes of outbreaks of Legionnaires’ dis- ease: Deficiencies in environmental control and water management. Microorganisms , 9 (1), Article 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/ microorganisms9010089 Dieter, C.A., Maupin, M.A., Caldwell, R.R., Harris, M.A., Ivahnenko, T.I., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., & Linsey, K.S. (2018). Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015 (Circular 1441). U.S. Geological Survey. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ cir1441 Gerding, J.A., Landeen, E., Kelly, K.R., White- head, S., Dyjack, D.T., Sarisky, J., & Brooks,
FIGURE 1
New Website From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Features Environmental Health Resources Our free resources cover food safety, safe water, vector control, and more.
Assessment forms for outbreaks and emergencies
Training on outbreak investigation, pool inspection, and more
Key findings from our research
www.cdc.gov/environmental-health-services/php/about/resources.html CS349938-B
includes information on core water areas for environmental health professionals. • Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease: Anal- ysis of CDC-led investigations of Legion- naires’ disease outbreaks found all defi- ciencies associated with outbreaks could have been prevented by comprehensive, properly implemented water manage- ment programs (Clopper et al., 2021). We provide resources and training on how to create a Legionella water management program and how to investigate Legionella outbreaks. Use our free assessment forms, tool kits, short videos on sampling and other topics, and guidance on identifying cooling towers. • Wells and private drinking water: Approxi- mately 1 in 8 residents in the U.S. get their drinking water from a private well. ( Note. The numerator was calculated by mul- tiplying the percentage of self-supplied domestic withdrawals from groundwater [98.47%] by the 42.5 million total self- supplied population [Dieter, et al., 2018], resulting in an estimated 41.8 million people using private wells. The denomi- nator is the 2018 U.S. population [U.S. Census Bureau, 2018]). Take our training
on strengthening private drinking water programs, find tools developed by other health departments, and explore our infor- mation on addressing threats to wells after a wildfire. • Recreational water: Of routine public pool inspections, 1 out of 8 result in immedi- ate closure due to at least one violation representing a serious threat to public health (Hlavsa et al., 2016). Explore our resources on addressing health issues in pools and other recreational water venues. Topics include contamination response, the Model Aquatic Health Code, and pool inspection resources and training. Environmental Health Response and Recovery Environmental health professionals perform many crucial functions during emergency response and recovery. These functions include conducting shelter assessments, test- ing drinking water supplies, performing food safety inspections, and controlling disease- causing vectors. You can use our assessment forms, guidance, and other environmental health resources from CDC and other trusted sources to support recovery after an emer-
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December 2024 • Journal of Environmental Health
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