NEHA March 2023 Journal of Environmental Health

disciplinary approaches. Illustrative examples of the benefit of this approach are evident in addressing airflow requirements to mitigate transmission of infectious agents in indoor environments (e.g., the SARS-CoV-2 pan- demic) (Mbow et al., 2019), and the impact on food security related to biodiversity loss result- ing from climate change (Lichtveld, 2022). Wide-Ranging Stakeholder Portfolio From communities to companies—the public and private sectors—successful environmen- tal health science professionals engage with a diverse set of stakeholders. Similarly, they are active in many different professional organiza- tions. Among those are the environmental and occupational health sections of the American Public Health Association, Society of Toxicol- ogy, Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health, National Environmental Health Association, and Association of Environmen- tal Health Academic Programs (EHAC). Stake- holders also include both academic unit-wide and discipline-specific accrediting bodies such as the Council on Education for Public Health, National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council, and Board for Global EHS Credentialing. Together, these stakeholders represent a nurturing environ- ment for emerging and senior environmental health professionals alike. Career Opportunities So, who are we? The list is limitless: environ- mental health specialists, public health prac- titioners, academicians and scientists, disease control professionals, disaster management officials, occupational health and safety spe- cialists, industrial hygienists, food safety spe- cialists, chief resilience officers, water quality specialists, climate and human health scien- tists, and environmental health policy experts. Employment opportunities are equally diverse: health and environmental protection; academia; federal, state, and local health and environmental agencies; manufacturing com- panies; worker protection; and disaster pre- paredness and management. Noteworthy is the versatility of our profession. Given the height- ened attention to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related risks to communities, we are now more visible as experts in infectious disease control, mitigating toxic exposures, and allowing communities to thrive in the saf- est possible way.

FIGURE 1

Complete Environmental Exposure Pathway

Note. The infographic was designed by the European Environment Agency and depicts the pathway from source of contamination—through environmental media—to the points of exposure, their routes, and subsequently those individuals who are exposed and affected (European Environment Agency, 2019).

career decision-making process (i.e., middle and high school years) to ensure the growth and continued impact environmental health science has on this ever-changing landscape. Transdisciplinary by Design Knowledge of each step of the environmental exposure pathway is pivotal (Figure 1). This understanding is vital to master the charac- terization of the contamination source(s) and human health risks—how chemicals move through the exposure media (e.g., water, soil, air); where exposure can occur (e.g., play-

ground, water tap); how chemicals enter into the body and how metabolism occurs (e.g., exposure routes, inhalation, ingestion, der- mal contact, breast milk); and most impor- tantly, who is exposed, especially those indi- viduals most vulnerable. Expertise in environmental sciences and those disciplines targeting human health and social services have been artificially separated in many educational systems, yet both are piv- otal to achieve community protection. Environ- mental health science programs need to focus on a pedagogical approach to integrate these

33

March 2023 • Journal of Environmental Health

Powered by