Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control (DEODC)

The mission of DEODC is to create a California free of environmental and occupational disease through the promotion of strong effective prevention activities, public health leadership, scientific excellence, informed public discussion, and productive collaboration with stakeholders.

All branches of DEODC contribute to the prevention and control of environmental and occupational disease through exemplary scientific public health assessment:  surveillance, investigation, laboratory innovation, education and technical assistance.  We are the sentries, scouts, laboratorians, and intelligence officers in the war on environmental and occupational disease.  DEODC must determine how environmental and occupational diseases are related to harmful exposures to non-infectious environmental agents (e.g., chemicals, physical agents, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation) and all workplace pathogens and factors leading to injury and disease.

Since children are particularly vulnerable to environmental and take-home occupational exposures, the Division deals with issues like asthma, childhood lead poisoning and pesticides poisoning.  Because environmental and occupational hazards work interactively with genetic susceptibility, nutrition and dangerous habits, the Division takes a comprehensive approach to understanding risks and formulating policy.  DEODC works with stakeholders, county health departments and regulatory agencies to resolve environmental and occupational problems and controversies.

In addition to our core public health assessment activities, the childhood and adult lead poisoning prevention programs include quality assurance and policy formation functions.  Additionally, the childhood lead program has regulatory responsibilities and local assistance components and thus comprises a comprehensive public health program.