[Is environmental health the future of public health?]. / La santé environnementale est-elle l'avenir de la santé publique ?

In France, the field of public health and public health training have developed over recent decades in parallel to the emergence of environmental health; however, these two fields are grounded in conceptual and methodological underpinnings that often differ. The authors of this article try to analyse the differences between these two approaches which both have prevention as their main purpose. Both approaches use epidemiology as a tool, but they are distinguished by their uniquely different definitions of environment. Unifying both approaches around a common basis is possible, but in order to do this, public health must evolve to expand and integrate new disciplines other than epidemiology. Supported by its close ties to societal issues of concern and recent scientific developments, the environmental health boom can and should revive public health values and contribute to the development of public health training in France.

Today's epidemics in children: possible relations to environmental pollution and suggested preventive measures.

BACKGROUND: Facts and hypotheses on the relationship between some children's diseases or disorders and external stressors during the developmental stage of a child, both prenatally and postnatally are described in literature. In this paper the following changes in patterns and causes of the main childhood illnesses are summarized and recommendations for actions are made. Prematurity. Intra-uterine growth restriction. Testicular dysgenesis syndrome. Type I and Type II diabetes. Asthma, atopy and hay fever. Autism. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Learning disabilities. Cancer. Obesity. Hearing problems. RESULTS: Literature provides a growing amount of information on changing patterns in childhood diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The following recommendations for action are formulated: Immediate research on endocrine disrupters in relation to prematurity. Diabetes: avoid Maillard Compounds in liquid baby food and in food in general: promote breastfeeding. Asthma: avoid exposure to smoking, the use of chemical household products, dioxin and dioxin-like chemicals, and avoid air pollution with high levels of particulate matter, especially around conception, during pregnancy and in the first years of life. Autism: more research on incidence and causes. ADHD and learning disabilities: more research on prevalence and causes. Preventions: 1) preconception counselling to avoid potentially harmful substances; 2) controlling and further lowering levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and methyl mercury. Cancer: promote breastfeeding, carry out research into effects of foetal exposure to internal fission-product radionuclides. Obesity: stop smoking in pregnancy, avoid parental obesity, longer night sleep. Hearing problems: lower noise levels in discothèques, promote the day-evening-night level to avoid noise (longer night sleep).