A safe and healthy environment is one form of preventive medicine that you cannot buy at the drug store or get from your doctor's office, yet it is crucial to the well being of you, your family and the community where you live.

Environmental Health programs are an essential part of Florida’s public health system. These services are administered by the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County Environmental Health Services and are aimed at preventing or reducing health risks that may occur in your daily surroundings.

Detecting and correcting environmental dangers that can cause disease or injury is the job of Environmental Health Specialists. They are an important part of a public health team.

You may not be aware of the wide range of services provided by these specialists through Environmental Health Services (EHS).  Almost every day you and your family receive benefits directly or indirectly from work performed by Environmental Health Professionals.

Through public education, routine inspections, investigation of complaints and enforcement of laws relating to safety and sanitation, your EHS staff help to make your neighborhood and community a healthier place to live. 

For emergency notifications of public health hazards, please visit the Emergency Management website.

• Can the COVID-19 virus spread through drinking water?  The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water. Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.
• Is the COVID-19 virus found in feces?  The virus that causes COVID-19 has been detected in the feces of some patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The amount of virus released from the body (shed) in stool, how long the virus is shed, and whether the virus in stool is infectious are not known.  The risk of transmission of COVID-19 from the feces of an infected person is also unknown. However, the risk is expected to be low based on data from previous outbreaks of related coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). There have been no reports of fecal-oral transmission of COVID-19 to date.
• Can the COVID-19 virus spread through pools and hot tubs? CDC is not aware of any scientific reports of the virus that causes COVID-19 spreading to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, water playgrounds, or other treated aquatic venues.
• Can the COVID-19 virus spread through sewerage systems?  CDC is reviewing all data on COVID-19 transmission as information becomes available. At this time, the risk of transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 through sewerage systems is thought to be low. Although transmission of COVID-19 through sewage may be possible, there is no evidence to date that this has occurred. This guidance will be updated as necessary as new evidence is assessed.  SARS, a similar coronavirus, has been detected in untreated sewage for up to 2 to 14 days. In the 2003 SARS outbreak, there was documented transmission associated with sewage aerosols. Data suggest that standard municipal wastewater system chlorination practices may be sufficient to inactivate coronaviruses, as long as utilities monitor free available chlorine during treatment to ensure it has not been depleted.  Wastewater and sewage workers should use standard practices, practice basic hygiene precautions, and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as prescribed for current work tasks.
• Should wastewater workers take extra precautions to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus?  Wastewater treatment plant operations should ensure workers follow routine practices to prevent exposure to wastewater. These include using engineering and administrative controls, safe work practices, and PPE normally required for work tasks when handling untreated wastewater. No additional COVID-19–specific protections are recommended for employees involved in wastewater management operations, including those at wastewater treatment facilities.
• Guidance for Reducing Health Risks to Workers Handling Human Waste or Sewage:  https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/sanitation/workers_handlingwaste.html
• Drinking Water, Recreational Water and Wastewater: What You Need to Know – please visit:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html

For more information on Red Tide and Blue-Green algae visit FDOH site for HABs (http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/aquatic-toxins/harmful-algae-blooms/index.html).

For more information on where Red Tide is located, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) Commission’s Research Institute at 866-300-9399 or visit the FWC website (https://myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/).

For more information on where blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) is located, contact The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at 1-855-305-3903 or visit the DEP website (https://floridadep.gov/algalbloom).

Not all mosquitoes are the same. Different mosquitoes spread different diseases and bite at different times of the day. Some mosquito species bite during the day, such as those mosquitoes that can spread chikungunya, dengue and Zika viruses. Other species of mosquitoes bite most often at dawn and dusk, including those that can transmit West Nile virus. Please review the Florida Department of Health Mosquito Bite Protection Flyer. For more information and tips to stop the breeding of mosquitoes visit:  http://www.cdc.gov/features/StopMosquitoes/.

A Boil Water Notice is issued when bacteriological analysis of samples obtained from a water distribution system have shown possible contamination of the water, or a water main break has occurred, or a loss of water pressure has been experienced.  When a Boil Water Notice is issued, as a precaution it is advised that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled.  A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient.  As an alternative bottled water may be used.

• Industry Bulletin for Florida’s Food Industry – These procedures must be observed while a “Boil Water Notice” is in effect: Guidelines for Food Facility Boil Water Guidance
• Guidelines for the issuance of precautionary Boil Water Notices
• CDC Boil Water Advisories Guidelines

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Florida Department of Health
• Florida Environmental Public Health Tracking Web Portal
• Brevard County Government

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