The Florida Senate

381.006  Environmental health.--The department shall conduct an environmental health program as part of fulfilling the state's public health mission. The purpose of this program is to detect and prevent disease caused by natural and manmade factors in the environment. The environmental health program shall include, but not be limited to:

(1)  A drinking water function.

(2)  An environmental health surveillance function which shall collect, compile, and correlate information on public health and exposure to hazardous substances through sampling and testing of water, air, or foods. Environmental health surveillance shall include a comprehensive assessment of drinking water under the department's supervision and an indoor air quality testing and monitoring program to assess health risks from exposure to chemical, physical, and biological agents in the indoor environment.

(3)  A toxicology and hazard assessment function which shall conduct toxicological and human health risk assessments of exposure to toxic agents, for the purposes of:

(a)  Supporting determinations by the State Health Officer of safe levels of contaminants in water, air, or food if applicable standards or criteria have not been adopted. These determinations shall include issuance of health advisories to protect the health and safety of the public at risk from exposure to toxic agents.

(b)  Provision of human toxicological health risk assessments to the public and other governmental agencies to characterize the risks to the public from exposure to contaminants in air, water, or food.

(c)  Consultation and technical assistance to the Department of Environmental Protection and other governmental agencies on actions necessary to ameliorate exposure to toxic agents, including the emergency provision by the Department of Environmental Protection of drinking water in cases of drinking water contamination that present an imminent and substantial threat to the public's health, as required by s. 376.30(3)(c)1.a.

(d)  Monitoring and reporting the body burden of toxic agents to estimate past exposure to these toxic agents, predict future health effects, and decrease the incidence of poisoning by identifying and eliminating exposure.

(4)  A sanitary nuisance function, as that term is defined in chapter 386.

(5)  A migrant labor function.

(6)  A public facilities function, including sanitary practices relating to state, county, municipal, and private institutions serving the public; jointly with the Department of Education, publicly and privately owned schools; all places used for the incarceration of prisoners and inmates of state institutions for the mentally ill; toilets and washrooms in all public places and places of employment; any other condition, place, or establishment necessary for the control of disease or the protection and safety of public health.

(7)  An onsite sewage treatment and disposal function.

(8)  A biohazardous waste control function.

(9)  A function to control diseases transmitted from animals to humans, including the segregation, quarantine, and destruction of domestic pets and wild animals having or suspected of having such diseases.

(10)  An environmental epidemiology function which shall investigate food-borne disease, waterborne disease, and other diseases of environmental causation, whether of chemical, radiological, or microbiological origin. A $10 surcharge for this function shall be assessed upon all persons permitted under chapter 500. This function shall include an educational program for physicians and health professionals designed to promote surveillance and reporting of environmental diseases, and to further the dissemination of knowledge about the relationship between toxic substances and human health which will be useful in the formulation of public policy and will be a source of information for the public.

(11)  Mosquito and pest control functions as provided in chapters 388 and 482.

(12)  A radiation control function as provided in chapter 404 and part IV of chapter 468.

(13)  A public swimming and bathing facilities function as provided in chapter 514.

(14)  A mobile home park, lodging park, recreational vehicle park, and recreational camp function as provided in chapter 513.

(15)  A sanitary facilities function, which shall include minimum standards for the maintenance and sanitation of sanitary facilities; public access to sanitary facilities; and fixture ratios for special or temporary events and for homeless shelters.

(16)  A group-care-facilities function, where a group care facility means any public or private school, housing, building or buildings, section of a building, or distinct part of a building or other place, whether operated for profit or not, which undertakes, through its ownership or management, to provide one or more personal services, care, protection, and supervision to persons who require such services and who are not related to the owner or administrator. The department may adopt rules necessary to protect the health and safety of residents, staff, and patrons of group care facilities, such as child care facilities, family day care homes, assisted living facilities, adult day care centers, adult family care homes, hospices, residential treatment facilities, crisis stabilization units, pediatric extended care centers, intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled, group care homes, and, jointly with the Department of Education, private and public schools. These rules may include definitions of terms; provisions relating to operation and maintenance of facilities, buildings, grounds, equipment, furnishings, and occupant-space requirements; lighting; heating, cooling, and ventilation; food service; water supply and plumbing; sewage; sanitary facilities; insect and rodent control; garbage; safety; personnel health, hygiene, and work practices; and other matters the department finds are appropriate or necessary to protect the safety and health of the residents, staff, or patrons. The department may not adopt rules that conflict with rules adopted by the licensing or certifying agency. The department may enter and inspect at reasonable hours to determine compliance with applicable statutes or rules. In addition to any sanctions that the department may impose for violations of rules adopted under this section, the department shall also report such violations to any agency responsible for licensing or certifying the group care facility. The licensing or certifying agency may also impose any sanction based solely on the findings of the department.

(17)  A function for investigating elevated levels of lead in blood. Each participating county health department may expend funds for federally mandated certification or recertification fees related to conducting investigations of elevated levels of lead in blood.

The department may adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this section.

History.--s. 21, ch. 91-297; s. 1, ch. 92-180; s. 27, ch. 93-150; s. 4, ch. 93-151; s. 351, ch. 94-356; s. 5, ch. 98-151; s. 10, ch. 99-397; s. 17, ch. 2000-141; s. 8, ch. 2000-242; s. 34, ch. 2001-186; s. 3, ch. 2001-372; s. 6, ch. 2004-350.