ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the evolution of environmental health practice and the conceptual underpinnings associated with this practice. It then reviews some of the current and emerging areas of environmental health practice, and the current issues and challenges facing public health today from an ecological perspective. The tools of environmental health consist of a large range of legislation relating to the environment, and to protection of human health from conditions and processes in the local environment. Environmental health practice encompasses a broad range of activities within the government sector. Food safety is one environmental health function performed by all states and territories, although the regulatory activity might be carried out by either state or local government. Like food safety and other environmental health areas, over time OHS has evolved in terms of its complexity and the scope of issues to be managed and regulated by government.
