Environmental Health- a branch of public
health that deals with the study of preventing
illness by managing the environment and
changing people’s behavior to reduce exposure
to biological and non biological agents of
disease and injury.
Mainly focuses on preventing diseases, which is
more cost- effective that curing and treating
diseases.
“Envinronmental health deal with disease
agents, people and the environment” – John
Tomarro
 Man
 Disease agent
 Environment
Man- Disease Agent- Environment link:
Man, by manipulating his own environment, is
able to prevent contracting disease by blocking
disease agents from entering his body; thus, the
disease agents are unable to attack his body.
Preventive strategies:
1. Change the people’s behavior to
manipulate environment and reduce
their exposure to biological and non-
biological disease agents
2. Manipulate the environment to prevent
production or presence of disease
agents
3. Increase man’s resistance or immunity
to disease agents.
First strategy:
 People’s use to food safety practices
such as: use of safe drinking water for
drinking and cooking.
 Handwashing before cooking and eating
 Washing vegetables properly during
food preparation
 Storing cooked food in the right
temperature.
Second strategy:
Shown by the treatment of water waste coming
from domestic and industrial sources prior to
release in the environment, particularly in the
rivers.
This strategy is specified in R.A 9275 “Clean
Water Act of 204” which took effect on May 6,
2004 and aimed to abate and control water
pollution from land- based sources.
Third strategy:
The EPI Program’s purpose is to immunize the
children from the infectious diseases of
tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, diphtheria,
pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and measles and
to immunize pregnant mothers against tetanus
in order to prevent tetanus neonatorum in their
newly born infants.
Nutrition Program’s goal: provide proper
nutrition to children and mothers and help
them become resistant to diseases.
Control of Diarrheal Diseases (CDD) Program
- It is not enough to treat children with
diarrhea by providing Oral Rehydration
Solutions or Oresol. It is necessary that
an Environmental Health and Sanitation
Program through increasing access to
sanitary toilets and safe drinking water
should be included in the CDD program
implementation.
Environmental Sanitation
- A study of all factors in man’s physical
environment, which may exercise a
deleterious effect on his health well-
being and survival.
 Water sanitation
 Food sanitation
 Refuse and garbage disposal
 Excreta disposal
 Insect vector and rodent control
  Housing
 Air pollution
 Noise
 Radiological Protection
 Institutional sanitation
 Stream pollution
Environmental and Occupational Health Office
(EOHO) under the National Center for Disease
Prevention and Control Program of DOH
- Is responsible for the promotion of
healthy and environmental conditions
and prevention of environmental
related diseases through appropriate
sanitation strategies.
These strategies include:
- Water quality surveillance
- Evaluation of food establishments
- Sanitation management of disaster
areas
- Impact assessment of environmentally
critical projects
- Enforcement of sanitation laws, rules,
regulations, and standards.
EOHO promotes and provides technical
assistance on sanitation programs through the
Department of Health’s Centers for Health and
Development in the different regions of the
Philippines.
The environmental health and sanitation
program is geared towards the elimination and
control of environmental factors in disease
transmission in all households.
EOHO is also responsible for conceptualizing
new programs or projects to contend with
emerging environmentally related health
problems, like Water for Life, Hospital Waste
Management, Urban Health and National
Projects, Pasig River Rehabilitation Project.
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND
SANITATION PROGRAMS
HEALTH AND SANITATION
Diarrheal diseases- first in leading cause of
morbidity among the general population.
 Pneumonia
 Tuberculosis
 Intestinal parasitism
 Schistosomiasis
 Malaria
 Infectious hepatitis
 Filariasis
 Dengue hemorrhagic fever
DOH through EOHO- has the authority to act on
all issues and concerns in environment and
health including the very comprehensive
Sanitation Code of the Philippines (PD 856,
1978)
WATER SUPPLY SANITATION PROGRAM
The DOH through EOHO has set some policies
on the following areas:
 Approved types of water facilities
 Unapproved type of water facility
 Access to safe and potable drinking
water
 Water quality and monitoring
surveillance
 Waterworks/ Water system and well
construction
Policies
Approved types of water supplies facilities
LEVEL I (Point Source)- A protected or a well-
developed spring with an outlet but without a
distribution system, generally adaptable for
rural areas where the house are thinly
scattered.
 15- 25 households
  Not more than 250 meters from the
farthest user
 Yield or discharge from 40- 140 liters
per minute
LEVEL II (Communal Faucet System or Stand-
Posts) – A system composed of a source, a
reservoir, a piped distribution network and
communal faucets.
 Not more than 25 meters from the
farthest housed
 Designed to delivery 40- 80 liters of
water per capital per day to an average
of 100 households
 1 faucet per 4- 6 households.
Generally suitable for rural areas where houses
are clustered densely to justify a simple piped
system.
LEVEL III (Waterworks System or Individual
House Connections)
 A system with a source, a reservoir, a
piped distributor network and
household taps.
 Generally suited for densely populated
urban areas.
 Requires minimum treatment of
disinfection.
Unapproved type of water facility
 Water coming from doubtful sources:
 Open dug wells
 Unimproved springs
 Wells that need priming and shall not
be allowed for drinking water unless
treated through proper container
disinfection.
Access to safe and potable drinking water
All households shall be provided with safe and
adequate water supply.
Water quality and monitoring surveillance
Every municipality through its Rural Health
Units must formulate an operational plan for
quality and monitoring surveillance every year
using the area program- based approach.
Require quality standards that meet the
provisions of the National Standards for
Drinking Water set by the DOH.
The examination of drinking water shall be
performed only in private or in government
laboratories duly credited by the DOH.
Secretary of Health- issues certificate of
potability of an existing water source.
Disinfection of water supply sources is
required on the following:
 Newly constructed water supply
facilities.
 Water supply facility that has been
repaired/ improved.
 Water sources found to be positive
bacteriologically by laboratory analysis.
 Container disinfection of drinking water
collected from a water facility that is
subject to recontamination like an open
dug wells, unimproved springs and
surface waters.
Waterworks/ water system and well
construction
 Well sites shall require the prior
approval of the Secretary of Health or
his duly authorized representative.
 Well construction shall comply with
sanitary requirements of the
Department of Health
 Water supply system shall supply safe
and potable water in adequate
quantity.
 Water shall be made readily available to
consumers/ users preferable through
water piped direct to homes to
 minimize contamination and encourage
personal and home sanitation.
Adequate pressure and volume shall be
provided in the water system distribution line.
PROPER EXCRETA AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL
PROGRAM
Policies
Approved types of toilet facilities
LEVEL 1
Non- water carriage toilet facility- no water is
necessary to wash the waste into the receiving
space.
Examples: Pit latrines, reed odorless earth
closet.
Toilet facilities requiring small amount of water
to wash the waste into receiving space.
Example: Pour flush toilet and aqua privies.
LEVEL II
On site toilet facilities of the water carriage type
with water- sealed and flush type with septic
vault tank disposal facilities.
LEVEL III
Water carriage types of toilet facilities
connected to septic tanks and/ or to sewerage
system to treatment plant.
In rural areas, the “blind drainage” type of
wastewater collection and disposal facility shall
continue to be the emphasis until such time
that sewer facilities and off- site treatment
facilities shall be made available to clustered
houses in rural areas.
Conventional sewerage facilities are to be
promoted for construction in “Poblacions” and
cities in the country as developmental
objectives to attain control and prevention of
fecal water borned disease.
FOOD SANITATION PROGRAM
Policies
 Food Establishments shall be appraised
as to the following sanitary conditions.
 Inspections/ approval of all food
sources, containers, transport vehicles.
 Compliance to Sanitary Permit
requirements for all Food
Establishments.
 Provision of updated Health Certificate
for food Handlers, cooks and cook
helpers which include monitoring as to
presence of intestinal parasites.
 DOH’s Administrative Order no. 1-
2006 requires all laboratories to use
Formalin Ether Concentration
Technique (FECT) instead of the direct
fecal smear in the analysis of stools of
food handlers.
 Destruction or banning of food unfit for
human consumption.
 Training of food handlers and operators
on food sanitation.
Food establishments shall be rated and
classified as follows:
 Class A- Excellent
 Class B- Very Satisfactory
 Class C- Satisfactory
Ambulant food vendors shall comply with the
requirements as to the issuance of health
certificate which also include monitoring the
presence of intestinal parasite and bacterial
infection.
Household food sanitation are to be promoted
and monitored and food hygiene education to
be intensified through health education and
provision of IEC materials.
Four Rights in Food Safety:
These four rights on food safety involve in the
chain food processing from the source in the
market until the food reaches the table. They
mainly encompass the following:
Right Source:
 Always buy fresh meat, fish, fruits and
vegetables.
 Always look at the expiry dates of
processed food and avoid buying the
expired ones.
 Avoid buying canned foods with dents,
bulges, deformation, broken seals and
improper seams.
 Use water only from clean and safe
sources.
 When in doubt of the water source, boil
water for at least 2 minutes (running
boiling)
Right Preparation
 Avoid contact between raw foods and
cooked foods
 Always buy pasteurized milk and fruit
juices.
 Wash vegetables well if to be eaten raw
such as lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes &
carrots.
 Always wash hands and kitchen utensils
before and after preparing food.
 Sweep kitchen floors to remove food
droppings to prevent the harbor of rats
and insects.
Right Cooking
 Cook food thoroughly and ensure that
the temperature on all parts of the food
should reach 70 degrees centigrade.
 Eat cooked food immediately.
 Wash hands thoroughly before and
after eating.
Right Storage
 All cooked foods should be left at room
temperature for not more than two
hours to prevent multiplication of
bacteria.
 Store cooked foods carefully. Be sure to
use tightly sealed containers for storing
food.
 Be sure to store under hot conditions
(at least or above 60 degrees
centigrade) or in cold conditions (below
or equal to 10 degrees centigrade).
 This is vital if you plan to store food for
more than 4- 5 hours.
 Microbial organisms easily multiply
within the 10- 60 degrees centigrade
temperature.
 Foods for infants should always be
freshly prepared and not to be stored
at all.
 Do not overburden the refrigerator by
filling it with too large quantities of
warm food.
 Reheard stored food before eating.
Food should be reheated to at least 70
degrees centigrade.
Rule in Food Safety: “When in Doubt, throw it
out!”
HOSPITAL WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Municipal refuse disposal- hospitals uses for
disposing hospital waste.
Policies
 All newly constructed/ authorized and
existing government and private
hospitals shall prepare and implement a
Hospital Waste Management (HWM)
Program as a requirement for
registration/ renewal of license.
 The use of appropriate technology and
indigenous materials for HWM system
shall be adopted.
  Training of all hospital personnel
involved in waste management shall be
an essential part of hospital training
program.
 Public information campaign on health
and environmental hazard arising from
mismanagement of hospital shall be the
responsibility of hospital
administration.
 DOH Hospital Waste Management
guidelines/ policies shall be guided by
existing legislative health and
environmental protection laws policies
on waste management. However, with
the passage of the R.A 8749: “Clean Air
Act of 1999” it is now unlawful to use
incinerators in hospitals and LGU’s
garbage disposal.
 Local ordinances regarding the
collection and disposal techniques shall
be institutionalized.
PROGRAM ON HEALTH RISK MINIMIZATION
DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
1. Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants (POPs) in May 2001,
where the Philippines is a signatory and
eventually ratified by the Senate on
February 2, 2004 through Senate
Resolution 676.
This treaty bans the use of POPs in
households and industries. These POPs
are called “Dirty Dozen” of pesticides,
industrial chemicals and unintentional
by- products of burning:
 Pesticides: aldrin and dieldrin,
endrin, chlordane, heptachlor, DDT,
hexachlorobenzene, mirex
toxaphene
 Industrial chemicals:
 Unintentional by- products of
burning: Digoxin and Furans
(caused by burning plastics)
2. R.A 6969 – “Toxic Substances
Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control
Act 1990” and its implementing Rules
and Regulations (DAO 29) (1992)-
Regulating the importation, use,
movement, treatment and disposal of
toxic chemicals and hazardous and
nuclear wastes in the Philippines.
3. R.A 8749 “Clean Air Act of 1999”
- Provides a comprehensive air pollution
management and control program to
achieve and maintain healthy air.
- Section 20 bans the use of incineration
for municipal, bio- medical and
hazardous wastes but allows the
traditional method of small- scale
community.
4. R.A 9003- “Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act of 2000”
- It declares the adoption of a systematic,
comprehensive, and ecological solid
waste management program as a policy
of the State. Adopts a community-
based approach. Mandates waste
diversion through composting and
recycling.
5. R.A 9275- “Clan Water of 2004”
- This law aims to establish wastewater
treatment facilities that will clean
wastewater before releasing into the
bodies of water like the rivers and seas.
Furthermore, it also requires LGUs to
form Water Management Areas that
will management wastewater in their
respective.
6. SUPPLEMENTAL IMPLEMENTING RULES
AND REGULATIONS OF CHAPTER II-
“WATER SUPPLY”, OF THE CODE ON
SANITATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (P.D
856)- this supplemental IRR provides
the guidelines on the proper regulation
of the water filling stations.