Environmental Health
Improving health and equity by addressing critical environmental issues
Our Impact
See all Environmental Health Impacts
- 50+ years 50 years researching links between chemical exposures during pregnancy and health across generations
- PASSED the most aggressive climate bills in the country: CA SB 32 and SB 1383
- 6.8M renters in multi-unit rental housing with better protections from mold, cold and pests, thanks to AB 548 sponsored by PHI's RAMP
Our Work
Our environment, the air we breathe, the food we consume and the climate around us profoundly impact our health. Communities of color and low-income populations are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards and the impacts of climate change. PHI is in the vanguard of improving health and equity by addressing some of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. We undertake groundbreaking studies. We show how the built environment can influence whether or not an individual will develop asthma, cancer and other illnesses. We educate the public and policy makers about the impacts of climate change on public health, and more.
PHI Priority
Building Health Equity
PHI's Achieving Resilient Communities (ARC) works to mitigate the dangers of heat-related illnesses and to increase climate change resilience in vulnerable communities. Thanks to their efforts, Ventura County launched a new emergency audio alert system in Mixteco and Zapoteco that notifies farmworkers when air quality reaches unhealthy levels due to wildfire smoke. ARC has also worked alongside farmworkers to document their stories and experiences during climate events, helping to elevate calls to action and community-led solutions. Their work has been recognized by the EPA as a best practice in how to communicate about the health risks of extreme heat with vulnerable populations by expanding access to information in indigenous languages and audiovisual formats.
Programs
Active Programs
Achieving Resilient Communities (ARC)
California Occupational Health Surveillance and Evaluation Program (OHSEP)
Center for Climate Change and Health
Center on Disability at the Public Health Institute
Child Health and Development Studies
CivicSpark
Dialogue4Health
Healthy Places Index (HPI)
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units National Program Office
Public Health Alliance of Southern California
Archived Programs
Take a virtual road trip through California with PHI’s Tracking California to see communities that are disproportionately burdened by toxic air pollution, and hear from voices and experiences of leaders who are engaged in air monitoring and other efforts to improve community air quality.
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You change the world. We do the rest. Explore fiscal sponsorship at PHI.
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Together, we can accelerate our response to public health’s most critical issues.
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