APHL Programs
Environmental Health
APHL strengthens the analytical capability and testing capacity of governmental laboratories that detect hazardous contaminants in people and the environment.
Biomonitoring
Biomonitoring measures the total amount of specific chemicals in a person’s body at a given time. It can be used to determine the type of chemical exposure a person has experienced but often not the exact source of contamination. For example, biomonitoring can detect lead in blood, but will not indicate how or where the person was exposed to lead). When samples are collected broadly and systematically, biomonitoring data can help identify and track trends, such as geographic regions with higher than normal exposure levels, or exposures to emerging contaminants. It can also let us know when exposure is no longer a concern, perhaps as the result of a public health intervention.
Emergency Response
As part of their work identifying and monitoring for environmental contaminants in water, air, soil, food and manufactured products, environmental health laboratories are an essential part of responding to emergencies involving those elements.
When environmental emergencies arise—chemical spills, floods and other natural disasters, intentional foodborne outbreaks or contaminated consumer products—laboratories conduct testing to identify the contaminants and help assess the damages.
If there is a wide-spread exposure or contamination, environmental health laboratories may rely on wider networks of laboratories and other public health partners for help.
Opioids Biosurveillance
The advanced analytical toxicology and chemistry capabilities within public laboratories and their integrated health surveillance systems lay the foundation for the sampling and testing of human clinical specimens for opioid detection and characterization, or “opioids biosurveillance.” This laboratory data has the potential to enhance existing overdose epidemiological surveillance infrastructure at the state and local level. Public health laboratories are uniquely poised to make valuable contributions to the opioid response alongside partners in medicine and epidemiology.
Cannabis Testing
The environment surrounding the regulation of medical and adult use cannabis is rapidly evolving. Many states and state laboratories are collecting information regarding the quality of products available for legal sale to assist patients and consumers in making informed decisions and to ensure the products sold meet the state standards for contaminants.
Climate Change
Environmental and public health laboratories play a critical role in testing related to climate change: responding to disasters, infectious disease and foodborne outbreaks. CDC explains that as the climate becomes warmer, extreme weather events (such as heat waves, floods, hurricanes and more) occur more frequently and more severely all over the world, and our ability to protect the health of our families and neighbors becomes more difficult. In some parts of the world, droughts and floods damage food and water sources leading to malnutrition or disease. Sometimes droughts force families to relocate, leaving behind their homes and their way of life, causing mental distress. Additionally, with increasing temperatures, the risk of emerging or reemerging infectious diseases (i.e., malaria or dengue fever) increases.
Wastewater Surveillance
APHL has created a wastewater surveillance community of practice to provide laboratory scientists a forum to discuss best practices, ask questions and hear from colleagues and federal partners on the subject. Participation in the community of practice is limited to state, local, territorial and tribal public health laboratories performing or interested in this testing and their partners. If you are interested in joining, please email erin.morin@aphl.org. APHL also participates in the health department community of practice, led by CDC, and the utilities community of practice, led by the Water Environment Federation (WEF).