Oral

In the last 100 years, the field of environmental health has been pivotal in helping to advance the health of communities through science, research, advocacy, and practice. Environmental health researchers and practitioners contributed to early public health efforts in the areas of sanitation, waste management, and drinking water. Other interdisciplinary environmental health scholars provided their expertise in the building of urban spaces in the early 20th Century and the engineering of our living environments. There were great advances in the reduction of communicable diseases and the spread of zoonotic diseases in the last century in part because of leaders in the field of environmental health. With a vision towards addressing the new challenges of the 21st century, challenges that are vastly different from that of our parents and grandparents, the field of environmental health must be a leader in this arena. These challenges include environmental inequalities, decaying sewer and water infrastructure, poor housing quality, transportation inequities, indoor air quality, children’s environmental health, cumulative impact issues, intergenerational exposures, chemical and product safety, contaminated foods and food webs, climate change, the built environment amongst others.. In this special session, we will celebrate 100 years of environmental health and the APHA Environment Section through the lens of leading scholars, advocates, and practitioners and look forward to the next century of urban planning and community development, the built environment, equity in transportation and housing, environmental justice and sustainable communities.

Session Objectives: Describe the role that environmental health advocates have played in advancing public health over the past 100 years Explain how regional and urban planning and community development can improve opportunity structures, equity, and health in underserved communities impacted by disparities in housing, transportation, and socioeconomic resources Discuss issues of differential burden, exposure, and risks for communities impacted by environmental health disparities Identify opportunities for APHA to help with the promulgation of new environmental health laws and policies that will beneficial to improving and protecting the health of Americans over the next 100 years