Understanding environmental and public health impacts within the Chesapeake Bay watershed through indicator development

Environmental public health indicators are tools used to translate ongoing surveillance of environmental hazards, exposures and health effects into data that can be used by practitioners to make informed decisions regarding the health and safety of populations. The Chesapeake Bay region has a large resource of potential data and information available for the development of indicators bridging environmental changes and conditions within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and its potential implications for human health. Three key indicators will be presented to demonstrate the utility of indicator development including potential health impacts of population exposure to mercury and PCBs from sport-caught fish in Maryland waterways, E. coli in Anne Arundel county, and total tri-halomethanes in drinking water supplies. Indicators suggest that current environmental conditions pose potential risks to population health, particularly to women of child bearing age. Indicators also highlight areas for future mitigation and adaptation within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. There is a need for better data and information regarding health impacts of environmental conditions, and results from this study suggest data analysis and dissemination through indicators can be an important tool to aid decision-makers in making scientifically valid choices.