The Environmental Connection to Public Health Protection

White sandy beaches, meandering creeks and marshes, live oak and pine forests, enduring communities, blue skies and lots of sunshine are some of the things we love about living along the South Carolina coast.  These elements have come to characterize the “good life” that can be found here in the Lowcountry.

For generations, newcomers have flocked to this part of the world to escape the hustle-bustle, the noise and grime of the more industrialized Northeast and Midwest.  Likewise, many longtime residents have seen no reason to leave, preferring the “clean living” of our less urban, more rural environment.

The clean living that we all seek has been, and will continue to be, dependent on the health of our surrounding environment – the cleanliness of the air we breathe, the purity of the water we drink and fish and swim in, and whether or not we build our communities to foster healthy habits and lifestyles.  This relationship between public health and the health of the environment is well documented and has enormous consequences for the welfare of our citizens, our communities and our economy.

“When we improve the health of an environment,” says Dr. Julie Gerberding of the Center for Disease Control, “whether that environment is a community or a workplace, we improve the health of the people who live or work in that environment.  Many times, we can greatly improve people’s health and well-being by making changes in the immediate environment.”

As our state’s population continues to increase and as the demands for infrastructure continue to tax the natural resources upon which our health depends, it is imperative to ask the following questions:

• How healthy are we in South Carolina?
• How clean is the environment upon which we depend?
• What is the connection between the health and well-being of the citizens of South Carolina and our surrounding environment?
• How best can we maintain the health of both?

We examine such topics as the rising rates of asthma, lung cancer, obesity and other chronic diseases in South Carolina, the issue of uncontrolled port pollution, the dangers of coal fired power plants, the links between urban sprawl and obesity, and most importantly, what we can do to ensure a healthy South Carolina now and in the future

Health Impacts WorkshopWhat happens when you breathe diesel exhaust from ships and cargo trucks? Asthma? Stroke? Heart disease?…

Cruise Ships in CharlestonThe South Carolina State Ports Authority is expanding the passenger cruise ship business in Charleston.…

Nonpoint Source PollutionSources of water pollutants are numerous, but many can be prevented by our own individual actions.

Air Quality and Public HealthParticle pollution causes serious and chronic illnesses in South Carolina’s citizens.

Toxic Air Problems at South Carolina SchoolsUSA Today's Special Report "The Smokestack Effect" uses a Johns Hopkins study of EPA data to rank schools…

Clean Air Everywhere PartnershipFunded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we are working to actively engage the community on air…

Victory for Clean Air!After ten years of working to provide information so the port can make meaningful and measurable reductions…