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Awareness
is growing that our environment exposes us to a number of potentially hazardous
substances. Public health researchers and authorities must protect human
health from environmental contaminants by broadening knowledge, implementing
health protection measures, and promoting safe, healthy environments.
Should animals
be tolerated at a school attended by asthmatic children? How can we make
owners of private wells conscious of the importance of monitoring the
quality of their drinking water? What effect does spilling a chemical
product in the home have on public health? Is the accumulation of chemical
product residues in the blood a good reason not to breast-feed a baby?
These are just some of the questions fielded every day by the health professionals
and researchers of the Health and Environment Group, Centre hospitalier
universitaire de Québec (CHUQ), Québec National Institute of Public
Health (INSPQ) and Public Health Directorate (Québec City region).
These teams help keep Quebecers informed about their state of health and
implement clinical treatment, prevention, and health promotion initiatives.
They also issue warnings when certain situations are likely to threaten
public health, they perform research and laboratory analyses, and they
put forward measures to protect public health.
The
health and environment group
For over
25 years, Québec has allocated extensive resources to public health
and the environment. Its imposing, 125 member Health and Environment Group
is divided into several teams that bring together professionals and researchers
from such diverse disciplines as anthropology, biology, biochemistry,
epidemiology, forestry, geography, geomatics, genetics, medicine and nursing,
nutrition, psychology, the environmental sciences, sociology, statistics,
and toxicology. Team members pool their efforts to answer inquiries from
the public, carry out research, and work with a diverse array of partners
(health and environment networks, government departments, universities,
community agencies, municipalities, and private-sector firms). The teams
have been assigned official mandates at the regional, provincial, national
and international levels.
The interdisciplinary
nature of the group is a major asset that enables it to thoroughly assess
development projects and government policies for the potential health
effects of their environmental impact, as well to provide teaching and
ongoing training. It also benefits Master's and doctoral students in epidemiology,
community health, and biology who enjoy supervision during their practical
training and thesis preparation. Medical students and professionals in
engineering, biology, biochemistry, and the environmental sciences also
regularly receive training with the Group's teams. The Group is made up
of four teams, one devoted to regional activities, one to research, and
two others operating respectively in environmental and occupational expertise
and laboratories. A number of professionals and researchers work on several
of the teams.
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