Environmental Health

The Environmental Health section of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is responsible for health-related programs that are designed to prevent communicable disease transmission. The environmental health section has awareness and training programs for the following areas:

• Biological Exposure Occupational Health Program: This program provides occupational medical surveillance for individuals exposed to biological agents.
• Biological Safety: This program provides Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) protocol processing, biohazard safety information, awareness training, laboratory inspection and autoclave testing.
• Bloodborne Pathogens: Training, decontamination procedures, waste handling and blood product exposure investigations are conducted by EHS.
• Controlled Substances: This program provides licenses, handling and disposal of scheduled drugs.
• General Environmental Health: Environmental conditions in and around buildings and Purdue properties are surveyed and evaluated. Public health-related complaints are fielded and investigated, e.g., animal bites/exposures, human parasites, insect and rodent infestation.
• Food Safety: University food services are inspected once per semester. Inspections are used to make recommendations concerning safe handling, preparation and storage of food items.
• Potable Water Safety: Potable water inside the building is defined as any water that is plumbed for human consumption, e.g., drinking fountains, kitchenette sinks and food preparation sinks. This covers quality issues such as taste, odor, hazard evaluation, backflow prevention requirements and decontamination steps for plumbing systems.