Environmental health is defined by the World Health Organisation as:

Those aspects of human health and disease that are determined by factors in the environment.

It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing and controlling factors in the environment that can potentially affect health.

Environmental health as used by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, includes both the direct pathological effects of chemicals, radiation and some biological agents, and the effects (often indirect) on health and wellbeing of the broad physical, psychological, social and aesthetic environment which includes housing, urban development, land use and transport. [1] (http://www.who.dk/eprise/main/WHO/Progs/HEP/20030612_1)

Nutrition, pollution, waste control and public health are related concerns.

When well-being of a whole population is measured, these become economic and political concerns. Increasingly wellness concerns are affecting fiscal policy and prompting some advocates to call for monetary reform (to end systematic pollution credit, governments actually paying to create human health harms).

Environmental health services

Environmental health services are defined by the World Health Organisation as:

those services which implement environmental health policies through monitoring and control activities. They also carry out that role by promoting the improvement of environmental parameters and by encouraging the use of environmentally friendly and healthy technologies and behaviours. They also have a leading role in developing and suggesting new policy areas.

The Environmental Health profession had its modern-day roots in the sanitary and public health movement of the United Kingdom. This was epitomised by Sir Edwin Chadwick who was instrumental in the repeal of the poor laws and was the founding president of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.