Environment

The natural and built environments around us shape our health in many ways. From extreme weather to water and air pollution, it’s important to take the necessary precautions to stay safe from potential health hazards. Click on any topic in the sidebar to find out more about the best ways to protect yourself from health risks found in our environment.

Health Hazards

A Health Hazard is defined as:

a) a condition of a premise,
b) a substance, thing, plant or animal other than man, or
c) a solid, liquid, gas or combination of any of them,
that has or is likely to have an adverse effect on the health of any person.

As required by the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act, Peterborough Public Health, through investigation, strives to prevent and reduce adverse health outcomes resulting from exposure to health hazards including biological, physical and chemical agents, natural or man made, in homes, public places and the work place.

All public inquiries or complaints are reviewed to determine their public health significance. If there is a potential public health concern, the complaint will be investigated. Appropriate action is taken in order to alleviate any potentially identified health hazards. If the public health unit is not the regulatory agency for the concern, a referral will be made to the appropriate government ministry or authority.