(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish an Environmental Health Surveillance System (EHSS) in accordance with this chapter. The purpose of the EHSS shall be to establish ongoing surveillance of the environmental exposures and diseases affecting Californians, with a focus on prevalence and determinants of chronic diseases. The Regents of the University of California are requested to cooperate with the division and the office in establishing the EHSS.
(b) The objectives of the EHSS are as follows:
(1) To track and evaluate a variety of chronic diseases in relation to environmental exposures.
(2) To allow both government and university investigators and public health officials to assess the impact of environmental contaminants on the human body.
(3) To provide information to the relevant board, department, or office within the California Environmental Protection Agency and to the relevant branch or division within the State Department of Health Services for the development of appropriate preventive strategies.
(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 538, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2002.)