How can we use environmental epidemiology to study disease patterns, trends and clusters?
We can measure some health problems by identifying the number of persons who have a particular disease or illness. We can also measure or estimate whether those persons have come in contact with an environmental hazard such as lead based paint in homes or arsenic in water. We can compare the number of persons who have a problem to their potential exposure to determine if there is a relationship. We can also study the same kinds of diseases or illnesses in people who have not come in contact with an environmental hazard to see if the numbers are different or the same.
