Environmental Health Concerns

Environmental health concerns can range from chemical and metal exposures to lack of water to specific diseases. The Department of Health's environmental public health tracking, biomonitoring, and occupational health programs examine how particular environmental exposures affect our health. The community environmental health program offers an instrument that helps communities conduct their own environmental assessments. The community environmental health assessment tool box is a collection of resources and tools that aid environmental health assessments in smaller New Mexican communities.

Cancer is an environmental health concern that often comes up because people believe that there is an excess of cancers in their community or neighborhood. While it is natural to guess that some common element in the environment might be causing the cancers, unfortunately, cancer is very common. About one-half of men and one-third of women alive today will develop cancer. Sometimes a community may have what seems to be a lot of cancer, but no common link can be found.

Cancers caused by tobacco products and second-hand smoke can be prevented. Early screening for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancers can lower the rates of those cancers. Awareness of chemicals or substances in our daily living that are known or suspected to cause cancer can reduce exposures and lower the risk of getting cancer.