The purpose of this regional workshop in the Southeast was to broaden the environmental health perspective from its typical focus on environmental toxicology to a view that included the impact of the natural, built, and social environments on human health. Early in the planning, Roundtable members realized that the process of engaging speakers and developing an agenda for the workshop would be nearly as instructive as the workshop itself. In their efforts to encourage a wide scope of participation, Roundtable members sought input from individuals from a broad range of diverse fields-urban planners, transportation engineers, landscape architects, developers, clergy, local elected officials, heads of industry, and others. This workshop summary captures the discussions that occurred during the two-day meeting. During this workshop, four main themes were explored: (1) environmental and individual health are intrinsically intertwined; (2) traditional methods of ensuring environmental health protection, such as regulations, should be balanced by more cooperative approaches to problem solving; (3) environmental health efforts should be holistic and interdisciplinary; and (4) technological advances, along with coordinated action across educational, business, social, and political spheres, offer great hope for protecting environmental health. This workshop report is an informational document that provides a summary of the regional meeting.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• ROUNDTABLE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES, RESEARCH, AND MEDICINE (until March 31, 2002)
• ROUNDTABLE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES, RESEARCH, AND MEDICINE (Membership April 1, 2002 to present)
• REVIEWERS
• Preface
• Summary
  • WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND WHERE DOES IT HAPPEN?
  • WHAT ARE OUR RESEARCH NEEDS?
  • WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
• 1. Perspective on Environmental Health
• 2. Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the Environment
• 3. Environmental Health: A Fifty-Year Perspective
  • THE 1950s IN BOSTON
  • 2001 IN ATLANTA
• 4. Human Health and the Natural Environment
  • VALUING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
  • PROTECTING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: LESSONS FROM NATURE
  • ENSURING THE HEALTH OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
• 5. Human Health and the Built Environment
  • TRANSPORTATION AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS
  • THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH PROBLEMS
  • ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BUILDINGS
  • PARTNERSHIPS WITH ACADEMIA
  • PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY: CREATING TRUST
  • BUILDING HEALTHIER CITIES
• 6. Human Health and the Social Environment
  • SOCIAL CAPITAL
  • ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
• References
• Appendix A Agenda
• Appendix B Speakers and Panelists
• Appendix C Meeting Participants

Support for this project was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Health (Contract No. 282-99-0045, TO#5); National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Contract No. 200-2000-00629, TO#7); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (Contract No. 0000166930); National Health and Environment Effects Research Laboratory and National Center for Environmental Research, Environmental Protection Agency (Contract No. 282-99-0045, TO#5); American Chemistry Council (unnumbered grant); and Exxon-Mobil Corporation (unnumbered grant). The views presented in this report are those of the individual presenters and are not necessarily those of the funding agencies or the Institute of Medicine.

This summary is based on the proceedings of a workshop that was sponsored by the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine. It is prepared in the form of a workshop summary by and in the name of the ditors, with the assistance of staff and consultants, as an individuall authored document.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.