Environmental Health Readiness and Response
When environmental emergencies arise—chemical spills, natural disasters, intentional foodborne outbreaks or contaminated consumer products—laboratories conduct testing to identify the contaminants and help assess the damages. Preparing in advance for action and collaboration can ensure a rapid and effective response to environmental emergencies.
Contact the Environmental Health team: [email protected]
Environmental Health Response
If there is a widespread exposure or contamination event, environmental health laboratories may rely on wider networks of laboratories and other public health partners for help.
Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats
The Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats (LRN-C), the chemical component of the Laboratory Response Network, was established in 1999 to prepare and respond to chemical threats. The LRN-C links 54 state and local public health laboratories across the US and its territories.
Learn more about the LRN-C and find related resources
Environmental Microbiology Outbreak Response
Environmental microbiology outbreak response (EMOR) programs allow for rapid identification of environmental exposures from contamination events involving biological agents. EMOR capacity and capabilities are critical for national preparedness to respond to environmentally mediated outbreaks and biological threats.
Learn More About EMOR and find related resources
Environmental Response Laboratory Network and Water Laboratory Alliance
The Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN), administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Emergency, connects laboratories during an emergency. The ERLN also helps laboratories to prepare for an emergency, respond to environmental contamination and clean up a site to prevent future exposure.
The drinking water arm of ERLN, the Water Laboratory Alliance, specifically provides tools and resources to ensure drinking water laboratories can connect to each other for additional testing capability or capacity needs.
Environmental and Chemical Threats
E-cigarette and Vaping Related Illness
Close collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and APHL member laboratories helped the public health community make great strides in identifying chemical agents associated with the E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) multi-state outbreak. The Lung Injury Response Laboratory Working Group, a team of researchers from these organizations, has observed an association between Vitamin E Acetate (VEA) contaminants in vape product samples and EVALI – VEA was identified in 94% of the 51 case-associated bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples tested. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on February 20, 2020.
Learn more on the APHL Public Health Response Coordination page
Natural Disasters
Environmental and public health laboratories play a critical role during and after natural disasters. Extreme weather events such as floods and hurricanes can cause drinking water contamination, and even infectious disease and foodborne disease outbreaks, while droughts or heat waves can damage food sources or cause poor air quality. Vigilant water, air and food testing is key to ensuring the safety of the public after a disaster.
Overdose Biosurveillance
Public health laboratories with overdose biosurveillance programs generate non-fatal overdose toxicology data contributing to local, state and national understanding of non-fatal overdose and the substances that cause them, filling gaps in existing overdose surveillance systems and assist communities in preparing for and responding to non-fatal overdoses. Communities, first responders and hospital staff are all impacted by increases in overdoses, and timely public health laboratory data can enable appropriate scaling of resources to mitigate strain on existing systems while still providing vital assistance to those most heavily impacted.
Learn more about overdose biosurveillance
Radiation Exposure
Public health laboratory analysis is critical to monitoring and prevention of radiological terrorism. Public health laboratories analyze clinical and environmental samples for radiochemicals and radiological contaminants, monitor the effects of radiation exposure and confirm radiation sickness or genetic mutation.
Learn More About Radiochemistry
Wastewater Surveillance
For many targets, wastewater surveillance can provide a community level snapshot of pathogen presence before clinical cases are detected. This gives hospitals, laboratories and other key partners an early warning, allowing them to prepare for an increase in cases. Wastewater surveillance can potentially provide additional information, such as genetic makeup, to better inform the community of potential risks and allocate resources appropriately.
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance has been used successfully in the H5N1, mpox and measles outbreaks to supplement clinical data and provide more insight into disease burden and resource allocation.
Learn more about wastewater surveillance
Environmental Health Travel and Training Awards
APHL offers support to enable public health professionals to enhance their skills and expand their knowledge in environmental health by attending relevant training sessions and non-APHL conferences.
These awards are intended for permanent employees at APHL member environmental or public health laboratories engaged in testing environmental (air, water, soil, etc) or clinical matrices. Eligible training areas: human biomonitoring, environmental chemistry, Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats (LRN-C) and overdose biosurveillance (OD2A-S).