Tennessee Public Health Tracking

What is Health Tracking and Why is it Important? 

Environmental Public Health Tracking is the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of data from environmental monitoring and data from human exposure and health effects surveillance. The goal of EPHT is to protect communities by providing information to plan, apply and evaluate public health actions to prevent and control environmentally related diseases.
The environment is important in human development and health. Researchers have linked exposures to some environmental hazards with specific diseases. For example, exposure to secondhand smoke has been linked to lung cancer and exposure to lead-based paint has been linked to decreased mental function in children. Other suspected links remain unproven. Tracking environmentally related exposures and health effects may help to link hazards with illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is a system of integrated health, exposure and hazard information and data from a variety of national, state and city sources. On CDC’s EPHT Network, you can view maps, tables and charts with data about:
  • chemicals and other substances found in the environment
  • some chronic diseases and conditions
  • the area where you live
CDC's EPHT Network integrates data about environmental hazards and exposures with data about diseases that are possibly linked to the environment. This system allows federal, state and local agencies and others to:
  • monitor and distribute information about environmental hazards and disease trends
  • advance research on possible linkages between environmental hazards and disease
  • develop, implement and evaluate regulatory and public health actions to prevent or control environment-related diseases.
EPHT has involved substantial collaboration between CDC and public health and environmental partners, including the Tennessee Department of Health.
As of 2022, Tennessee is a recipient of funding to support environmental public health tracking.

Chronic Disease

Includes information about asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), cancer and heart disease and stroke.

Environment

Includes information about unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, drinking water and radon.

Climate

Includes information about air quality, climate change, cold weather-related illnesses and heat related illnesses.

Maternal & Child Health

Includes information about birth defects, childhood lead poisoning, and reproductive and birth outcomes.

National Environmental Public Health Tracking

The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) brings together health data and environmental data from national, state, and city sources and provides supporting information to make the data easier to understand. The Tracking Network has data and information on environments and hazards, health effects, and population health.