Board of Health
(1 seat available - 3 year term)
Marcia Testa Simonson
Q1. As you know, Town Meeting passed the Select Board’s Resolution to Address the Impact of Climate Change in 2020. How can the Board of Health play a bigger role in curbing environmental health risks, or at least educating the public about them? For example, the recent studies on the dangers of gas stoves, the PFAS issue, persistent pesticide use, the use of noisy and polluting lawn equipment, the 200+ methane leaks under our streets and in our homes, and of course, the risks to our health of climate change in general.
A1. It took only 80 years, today’s average human life expectancy, to increase the United States population from 132.2 million persons in 1940 to 329.5 in 2020 – a 250% increase. During that same period, worldwide, the population increased from 2.3 billion to 7.8 billion- an astounding 340% increase. Reflecting upon the fact that the origins of humans on earth are estimated to have begun approximately 315,000 years ago (or nearly 4,000, 80-year intervals), it is easy to understand the potent impact of such rapid population growth on natural resource depletion, habitat destruction, air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy consumption, transportation, deforestation, and industrial activities, loss of biodiversity, food and water scarcity, and waste generation.
With such challenges, Town Boards of Health (BOHs) in Massachusetts already play a huge role in curbing environmental health risks. Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) Title XVI, Chapter 111, Section 2 states that “The department shall take cognizance of the interests of life, health, comfort and convenience among the citizens of the commonwealth; shall conduct sanitary investigations and investigations as to the causes of disease, and especially of epidemics, and the sale of food and drugs and adulterations thereof; and shall disseminate such information relating thereto as it considers proper.” The term “department” used in this quote refers to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which delegates a significant portion of its broad enforcement authority to local Boards of Health, such as Wellesley. These BOH responsibilities are not discretionary but mandatory under Federal and State laws. In Massachusetts, BOHs are granted the local jurisdictional authority and responsibility to enforce public health MGLs and the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR), many of which involve mitigating known environmental health risks. The field of public health had its roots in “environmental public health.” This field studies the interactions between people and their environment, focusing on how environmental factors impact the health and well-being of humans and all living entities, including animals, insects, plants and microorganisms. In 1854, Dr. John Snow of London, often considered one of the first public health epidemiologists, demonstrated that sewage-tainted water was associated with the spread of cholera, even before “germ theory” was accepted by the medical establishment.
Our Wellesley Health Department environmental health specialists and sanitarians enforce our modern sanitation laws involving sewage disposal and assurance of clean water, air, and food. Boards of Health are also responsible for enforcing the laws that come under the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. MGL Title XVI, Chapter 111, Section 2c grants the authority to control pollution that negatively impacts health. The local BOHs and their health department agents are involved in identifying and addressing environmental hazards and risks to protect and promote public health. However, rigorous data and evidence are required to demonstrate the causal relationships between environmental risk factors and health outcomes to enact new protective laws and regulations that can be passed. It falls upon our public health researchers to establish the authenticity of these causal relationships. However, such research is relatively rare. Over the past ten years, while 1.6 million research publications cited “cancer,” less than 2,000 publications cited all types of “environmental health risks.” Local boards of health can provide the boots on the ground to recognize and identify potential risk factors and enforce laws once enacted, but it will require a much more significant whole-earth investment to raise the awareness, funds, and resources needed to sustain quality-of-life over the next 80 years. Organizations such as Sustainability Wellesley can work with the Wellesley Board of Health and Health Department staff to increase community awareness to promote a more resilient and healthier environment.
(1 seat available - 3 year term)
Marcia Testa Simonson
Q1. As you know, Town Meeting passed the Select Board’s Resolution to Address the Impact of Climate Change in 2020. How can the Board of Health play a bigger role in curbing environmental health risks, or at least educating the public about them? For example, the recent studies on the dangers of gas stoves, the PFAS issue, persistent pesticide use, the use of noisy and polluting lawn equipment, the 200+ methane leaks under our streets and in our homes, and of course, the risks to our health of climate change in general.
A1. It took only 80 years, today’s average human life expectancy, to increase the United States population from 132.2 million persons in 1940 to 329.5 in 2020 – a 250% increase. During that same period, worldwide, the population increased from 2.3 billion to 7.8 billion- an astounding 340% increase. Reflecting upon the fact that the origins of humans on earth are estimated to have begun approximately 315,000 years ago (or nearly 4,000, 80-year intervals), it is easy to understand the potent impact of such rapid population growth on natural resource depletion, habitat destruction, air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy consumption, transportation, deforestation, and industrial activities, loss of biodiversity, food and water scarcity, and waste generation.
With such challenges, Town Boards of Health (BOHs) in Massachusetts already play a huge role in curbing environmental health risks. Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) Title XVI, Chapter 111, Section 2 states that “The department shall take cognizance of the interests of life, health, comfort and convenience among the citizens of the commonwealth; shall conduct sanitary investigations and investigations as to the causes of disease, and especially of epidemics, and the sale of food and drugs and adulterations thereof; and shall disseminate such information relating thereto as it considers proper.” The term “department” used in this quote refers to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which delegates a significant portion of its broad enforcement authority to local Boards of Health, such as Wellesley. These BOH responsibilities are not discretionary but mandatory under Federal and State laws. In Massachusetts, BOHs are granted the local jurisdictional authority and responsibility to enforce public health MGLs and the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR), many of which involve mitigating known environmental health risks. The field of public health had its roots in “environmental public health.” This field studies the interactions between people and their environment, focusing on how environmental factors impact the health and well-being of humans and all living entities, including animals, insects, plants and microorganisms. In 1854, Dr. John Snow of London, often considered one of the first public health epidemiologists, demonstrated that sewage-tainted water was associated with the spread of cholera, even before “germ theory” was accepted by the medical establishment.
Our Wellesley Health Department environmental health specialists and sanitarians enforce our modern sanitation laws involving sewage disposal and assurance of clean water, air, and food. Boards of Health are also responsible for enforcing the laws that come under the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. MGL Title XVI, Chapter 111, Section 2c grants the authority to control pollution that negatively impacts health. The local BOHs and their health department agents are involved in identifying and addressing environmental hazards and risks to protect and promote public health. However, rigorous data and evidence are required to demonstrate the causal relationships between environmental risk factors and health outcomes to enact new protective laws and regulations that can be passed. It falls upon our public health researchers to establish the authenticity of these causal relationships. However, such research is relatively rare. Over the past ten years, while 1.6 million research publications cited “cancer,” less than 2,000 publications cited all types of “environmental health risks.” Local boards of health can provide the boots on the ground to recognize and identify potential risk factors and enforce laws once enacted, but it will require a much more significant whole-earth investment to raise the awareness, funds, and resources needed to sustain quality-of-life over the next 80 years. Organizations such as Sustainability Wellesley can work with the Wellesley Board of Health and Health Department staff to increase community awareness to promote a more resilient and healthier environment.