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Like the local health departments in many other states, Utah's local health departments handle many calls from residents concerned about the links between health and environmental hazards. In Davis County, residents have been concerned about the possible link between groundwater contaminants and cancer rates. In Washington County, some residents have voiced concerns over respiratory problems and fugitive-dust emissions from Arizona. Proximity to demilitarization facilities and health outcomes such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and birth defects are a concern for residents of Tooele County.
Currently, no systems at the state or national level link exposures, health effects, and environmental hazards. As a result, local and stale health departments have a limited ability to respond efficiently and effectively to residents' concerns in this area.
The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2002 for the development of a nationwide Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) network to increase local- and state-level capacity to respond to these concerns. UDOH was one of 20 state and local health departments, and three schools of public...