As a nation, we have made significant strides in understanding and correcting a number of environmental problems since the passage of the first national "environmental law" over a century ago. The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, prohibiting discharge of refuse into waterways of the nation, was followed by numerous other laws, slowly at first and then in the 1970's with astonishing frequency, they were intended to improve human health and welfare by protecting the environment and requiring business and industry to protect workers. Environmental and occupational health professionals are working hard to maintain the steps we've taken, and tackle many new and exquisitely changeling issues.

We have made great progress in understanding the fate and transport of substances that contaminate our air, water, land and work places. That progress has led to improved technologies for controlling emissions and exposures, and improved policies to encourage environmental stewardship and occupational safety. None-the-less, we are just beginning to grasp how complex the relationship between humans and their environs can be, and we are trying hard to figure out how to study this complexity. The human genome has been mapped, but how do contaminants affect human health at the molecular level. The ozone hole has been mapped, but how does increased ultraviolet radiation affect human health at the global level. The scale of issues we are concerned with often takes our breath away. The problems are diverse and most will take interdisciplinary teams to solve the problems. It is an exciting time to work as an environmental or occupational health professional.

Welcome to the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health's web page. Here you will find links to other information that should answer many of the questions you have about our department. For those questions left unanswered, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
Center for BioHealth CBH - 345
3500 Camp Bowie Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699
817-735-2362