Environmental Health: Environmental Policy and Regulation

Clean Air Act of 1970

- A comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary mobile sources -Authorizes EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and public welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants

Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974

-Authorizes the EPA to establish minimum standards to protect tap water and requires all owners or operators of public water systems to comply with these primary (health-related) standards

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976

-EPA controls hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave." This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. -Enabled EPA to address environmental problems that could result from underground tanks storing petroleum and other hazardous substances. -______________focuses on waste minimization and phasing out land disposal of hazardous waste as well as corrective action for releases.

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

-Mission of _______ is to protect human health and the environment -In July 1970, the White House and Congress established the _______ in response to the growing public demand for cleaner water, air and land

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

-One of the first laws ever written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting our environment -____________ basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) 1980

-Provides a Federal "Superfund" to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites as well as accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment. -EPA was given power to seek out those parties responsible for any release and assure their cooperation in the cleanup.

Endangered Species Act of 1973

-Provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found. -The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) maintains a worldwide list of endangered species. Species include birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) of 1996

-__________ provides for federal regulation of pesticide distribution, sale and use -all pesticides distributed or sold in the US must be registered (licensed) by EPA

National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH)

-___________ is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness -Created in The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 along with another major occupational safety administration

World Health Organization (WHO)

-major international agency that is responsible for environmental health at the global level -provides leadership in minimizing adverse environmental health outcomes associated with pollution, industrial development, and related issues

Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of 1976

-provides EPA with authority to require reporting, record-keeping and tasing requirements, and restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures -various sections of TSCA provide authority to maintain the TSCA inventory, under Section 8, which contains more than 83,000 chemicals

Clean Water Act

-the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the first major US law to address water pollution -as amended in 1972 & 1977, the law became commonly known as the ____________ -established the basic structure for regulating pollutants discharged into the waters of the US

Environmental Policy

A statement by an organization (either public, such as government, or private) of it intentions and principles in relation to its overall environmental performance. ________________ provides a framework for action and for the setting of its environmental objectives and target.

Environmental Sustainability

As a goal of environmental policy, _________________ adheres to the philosophical viewpoint "that a strong, just, and wealthy society can be consistent with a clean environment, healthy ecosystems and a beautiful planet."

Polluter-Pays Principle

The ______________ "means that the polluter should bear the expenses of carrying out the pollution prevention and control measures....to ensure that the environment is in an acceptable state."

Precautionary Principle

The ___________________ states that "preventative, anticipatory measures....(should) be taken when an activity raises threats of harm to the environment, wildlife, or human health, even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established."

Environmental Justice

The concept of _____________ denotes the equal treatment of all people in society irrespective of their racial background, country of origin, and socioeconomic status.

Environmental Policy Development

The following are Principles of ________________ -the precautionary principle -environmental justice -environmental sustainability -the polluter-pays principle

Examples of Risk Management

The following are all ________________ -licensing laws -standard-setting laws -control-oriented measures -monitoring

Risk Management

The process of ____________ involves the adoption of steps to eliminate identified risks or lower them to acceptable levels (often as determined by a government agency that has taken into account input from the public)

Case Studies

These are all examples of ___________ of Environmental Health Policies -EPA strategic plan (2009-2014) -Water policy reform in South Africa -Environmental policies in economics in transition -Control of pollution across international boundaries

Impact Health

These are all examples of projects that may ____________ -large dams, mines, power plants, airports -development corridors, urban redevelopment

Policy Cycle

This circle is a representation of the flow of The _____________ Assessment Policy --> Agenda Setting ---> Policy Establishment --> Policy Implementation -->

1990

When was the Clean Air Act of 1970 amended?

Risk Assessment

____________ is closely aligned with the policy process through the balancing of economic and other costs with health and societal benefits that may accrue through specific policy alternatives

Health Impact Assessment (HIA)

____________ refers to "a method for describing and estimating the effects that a proposed project or policy may have on the health of a population."

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

____________________ is the process that reviews the potential impact of anthropogenic activities with respects to their general environmental consequences