The Environmental Health Protection Program develops legislation, policies and programs to protect public health from environmental hazards. It is administered locally by Medical Health Officers and Environmental Health Officers who monitor activities and facilities. The program focuses on ensuring safe drinking water, recreational water, food, air quality, and controlling disease vectors. It also regulates personal service establishments and develops pandemic influenza plans and public health bylaws.

1. Environmental Health Protection

2. Environmental Health Protection Environmental Health Protection Programs are administered locally by Medical Health Officers and Environmental Health Officers, who are responsible for direct service delivery in Health Authorities throughout the province Medical Health Officers and Environmental Health Officers provide surveillance and monitoring of activities and premises which may affect the public's health.

3. The Ministry of Health through the Environmental Health Protection Program develops legislation, policies and programs and supports Health Authorities, the British Columbus Centre for Disease Control and the Provincial Health Office by providing advice on legislation and policy issues related to the following:

4. Drinking Water Program The purpose of the Drinking Water Program is to: Develop provincial legislation, guidelines and policies on drinking water. Ensure that drinking water interests are considered in broader government policy and administration. Act as a resource for health authorities to help provide a consistent approach to the administration of the Drinking Water Protection Act and the Drinking Water Protection Regulation. Facilitate the coordination of provincial drinking water training initiatives. Liaise and coordinate provincial initiatives that may impact drinking water, and consult with drinking water suppliers, educational providers, water associations and other stakeholders on current drinking water issues.

5. How Drinking Water is Managed in B.C. The Drinking Water Program is administered locally by drinking water officers, public health engineers and medical health officers, who are responsible for direct service delivery in B.C.'s health authorities. Drinking water officers provide surveillance and monitoring of drinking water systems that may affect the public's health. Drinking water officers and public health engineers are also the people who should be contacted prior to the creation or alteration of drinking water systems.

6. Roles and Responsibilities of the Drinking Water Participants:

7. Land Use and Environmental Planning Public health provides input to waste management and other land-use planning initiatives to reflect the need for potential environmental threats to human health to be minimized, mitigated and/or prevented. The Ministry of Health provides guidance to Health Authorities and develops legislation, regulation, policy and guidelines regarding: On-site sewage disposal Health implications of solid and liquid waste disposal Land use activities and communicable disease Public health issues concerning subdivision assessment processes

8. Recreational Water Quality Pools and Hot Tubs Health Authorities regularly inspect and approve public and commercial pools and hot tubs in British Columbia to ensure that they are safely constructed and operated according to the Pool Regulation under the Public Health Act.

9. Recreational Water Quality B. Bathing Beaches Health Authorities may sample the water quality of recreational beaches or create reports on recreational water quality concerns to help inform them of any public health risks. Health Authorities, at their discretion may decide to close beaches, issue public advisories or to post warning signs based on these sampling results until the water samples indicate that it is safe to resume swimming in these waters.

10. Food Protection Food Premises Meat Inspection Milk and Dairy Fish and Shellfish Food Safety Courses

11. Air Quality Outdoor Air Quality Breathing is the most basic human function for anyone to live, and having good air quality makes a difference for living a healthier lifestyle. B. Indoor Air Quality Most people spend the majority of their time indoors. Many potential sources of contaminants in the home environment can result in poor indoor air quality, which, in turn, can affect individuals’ health and sense of well-being.

12. Vector Control A vector is an organism that transmits diseases or infections -- any organism that transports foreign living material usually mosquitoes, ticks and mammals. Vector control is any method to limit or eradicate the vectors which carry or transmit viruses or parasites responsible for vector-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus, Avian Influenza, Lyme Disease and Rabies.

13. Vector Control A. West Nile Virus West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne virus. In nature it is normally passed between mosquitoes and birds. The usual way for humans to get WNV is through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes can become carriers after biting infected birds. B. Avian Influenza Avian influenza is a contagious viral infection that can affect all species of birds (chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, pet birds and wild birds). While relatively uncommon, avian influenza viruses can cause illness in humans.

14. Personal Services Establishments The Environmental Health Program within each Health Authority engages in regular inspections of businesses providing personal services - such as beauty salons, barbers, tanning salons and tattoo and body piercing establishments – to ensure that public health standards are being met. Public Health Inspectors also follow-up on health complaints associated with these types of establishments. Personal services establishments are regulated by the Personal Service Establishments Regulation under the Health Act.

15. Pandemic Influenza Planning An influenza pandemic may occur when an influenza virus radically changes and can easily infect humans, and against which people have little or no immunity.

16. Public Health Bylaws under the Community Charter

17. Public Health Bylaws under the Community Charter The Community Chartercame into effect on January 1, 2004. The Charter gives municipalities broad powers to regulate activities in their communities in specific areas or "spheres". Local councils have discretion to do what is best considering local circumstances and in compliance with provincial laws.

18. Public Health Bylaws under the Community Charter The Community Charter recognizes five “spheres” for regulating activities that both the local governments and the Province have an interest in: Public health Protection of the natural environment; Wildlife; Building standards; and, Soil deposit or removal.

19. Public Health Bylaws under the Community Charter The Ministry of Community Services concurrent regulatory authority page can be referenced for more information on the application of public health bylaws within these “spheres”. Local Governments creating public health bylaws under the Community Charter may require consultation with the local health authority and approval or deposit of the bylaw with the Minister of Health before the bylaw can come into effect.

20. Environmental Health Protection is also responsible for: Consultation with agencies and on inter-agency committee for environmental health issues, Developing inter government and interagency protocols and agreements for environmental health issues, Data management for environmental health issues, Development and coordination of promotional and educational materials for environmental health issues.