Welch Medical Library Guides: Finding Health Statistics: Environmental Health

Environmental Health Data

Search strategies for environmental health data apply to all other health data. The first step is to think about which agency or organization will sponsor the collection of the data. Then you can use either the name of the agency/organization in a search query ("depression statistics AND CDC" or explore their websites to learn what datasets have been collected by them.

Major agencies and organizations that collect mental health data are:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry(ATSDR)
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National Institue of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Toxicology Program

Key Resources for Environmental Health

ATSDR Data Resources page
Links to a range of ATSDR resources where toxicologist, health professionals, community members, educators and health care providers can find data.
CDC WONDER
CDC Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research
(CDC WONDER) utilizes a rich ad-hoc query system for the analysis of public health data. Scoll down to find "Enviornmental Healt" which list majors resources on the environmental heath topic. A must check out list if you're interested in enviormental health.
EJSCREEN: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool
In order to better meet the Agency’s responsibilities related to the protection of public health and the environment, EPA has developed a new environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool called EJSCREEN. It is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports.
Environmental Dataset Gateway
A catalog of datasets by EPA. If you're new to this resource, to click on "browse" to view what datasets on your topic are available.
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
HCUP is a family of databases, software tools and related products developed through a Federal-State-Industry partnership and sponsored by AHRQ. HCUP databases are derived from administrative data and contain encounter-level, clinical and nonclinical information including all-listed diagnoses and procedures, discharge status, patient demographics, and charges for all patients, regardless of payer (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, uninsured), beginning in 1988.
Many environmental health researchers use HCUP data to study the impact of environmental harms resulting in hospitalization.
Maryland Department of Health Environmental Health Bureau
It is a gateway to environmental and health data resources in Maryland. Check out the Maryland Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. On this tracking site, you can create data Tables and Maps or view a Gallery of different health topics in Maryland.
National Environmental Public Health Tracking
The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) brings together health data and environment 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.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
NHANES is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.
Many environmental health researchers use NHANES because it contains lab results.
Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)
A data center in NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) hosted by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. Focusing on human interactions in the environment, SEDAC has as its mission to develop and operate applications that support the integration of socioeconomic and earth science data and to serve as an "Information Gateway" between earth sciences and social sciences.
Click on the "Theme" tab to browse.

Geographic Resources

CalEnviroScreen
Developed by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). CalEnviroScreen is a screening methodology that can be used to help identify California communities that are disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution.
Maryland EJSCREEN
Developed by the National Center for Smart Growth in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Public Health. It allows users to explore layers of environmental justice concern, determine the overall ‘EJ Score’ for census tracts in the state, and view additional context layers relevant to their area of concern or story they would like to tell.
Maryland State Data Center Zip Code Mapsde Bou
Note: The files are meant to serve as a "good approximation" of zip codes as polygons (which in reality they are not) but are not official Zip Code maps and are not meant to be a substitute for any products offered by the U.S. Postal Service, the official source for zip code information.
MCDC Geographic Applications Zip Code Lookup
From Missouri Census Data Center. Use this application to look up U.S. ZIP codes by state, place name, or both. Results include preferred and alternate place names, latitude/longitude, and land area for each ZIP code. Results also include several indicators from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey: total population, number of housing units, median family income (MFI), and percentile rank of MFI.
USDA Economic Research Service:Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America
The Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America provides statistics by broad categories of socioeconomic factors:
- People
- Jobs
- County classifications (rural classification by county)
- Income
- Veterans
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) by the US Census Bureau
ZCTAs are generalized areal representations of United States Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas.

Welch Classes

Welch Library regularly offers a class on finding environmental health data. Below are the slides of the class "Environmental Health Data" on December 10, 2020.

The recording will be available by February 1, 2021.