Community Links
There are many web-based resources out there with environmental health information aimed at the general public and/or communities with specific environmental health concerns. Here is a short list of the best of the best, however, to get your started exploring!
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences web site. This is a great place to go to learn about what environmental health research is getting funded in your area. You can also download fact sheets about specific chemicals or topics. The Environmental Heatlh Topics page is particularly resource rich and a good place to explore.
For Washington State residents, more local information can be found at the Washington Toxics Coaltion website. This non-profit group works to protect public health and the environment by eliminating toxic pollution. Their site includes updates on legislative action, ways to get involved, and a blog.
The Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) is a non-profit coalition of individual and organizations working to advance knowledge and actions to address the threats posed to human health by environmental factors. The site includes an extensive list of environmental health links and resources as well as a blog.
Environmental Justice/Environmental Racism pages. EJ-net has created and maintains this site as a clearinghouse and portal to resources related to environmental justice and the struggle to give everyone access to a clean environment that doesn't harm human health.
Tox Town, by the National Librairy of Medicine (NLM). This site is an awesome, interactive tool to learn about environmental health and toxic chemicals you might encounter in everyday life. You can choose to explore a town, city, US-Mexico border, farm, or port to learn about suburban, urban, rural, border, and coastal health risks. The entire site is also available in Spanish.
Environmental Health Perspectives. NIEHS' peer-reviewed journal of environmental health research. You can browse and articles, and read featured stories right on the home page.
Environmental Health News is an excellent portal to current news stories and research results related environmental health. It is a great site to make your home page and get the latest news everyday - all from one site! Or you can choose to subscribe to the daily e-newsletter Above the Fold and have the headlines delivered directly to your inbox every morning.
Toxipedia is a smart, cutting-edge resource for all things toxicology and environmental health related. Set up as a "wiki," it strives to "present scientific information in a clear and compelling way and to empower people to make choices that protect their own health and the health of families, communities, and the environment." The site offers articles and resources about toxic chemicals, diseases, regulations, consumer products, ethical issues, the history of toxicology, and more.
TOXMAP: Environmental Health e-Maps. Also produced by the National Library of Medicine, this interactive mapping site lets you enter an address or zip code and see a map showing all the Superfund sites and industries that report releases of toxic substances in that area. The site uses data from the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program and Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) to populate the maps, making them up-to-date and reliable.
Toxic Substances Portal, A-Z. Created and maintained by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), this site is a great place to start learning about specific toxic substances.
America's Children and the Environment (ACE). This section of the EPA's web site is a great place to learn about the unique challenges children and pregnant women face from environmental hazards.
For a more global perspective, the World Health Organization's Environmental Health Page is a great place to access resources such as fact sheets and multimedia presentations. These pages are also available in Spanish and several other languages.