As is well-known, health is defined in the World Health Organization’s Constitution as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”[4] Also according to the World Health Organization, “environmental health comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychosocial processes in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that can potentially adversely affect the health of present and future generations.”[5]
It is clear that these WHO definitions of “health” and of “environmental health” are broad. Yet having the full range of environmental health issues on the table is important for a truly community-based approach to environmental health. It is the communities themselves who then help program personnel to define the environmental health issues that are important, to decide which of these issues should be addressed, and to plan how best to address these issues.