​Environmental Health is defined by the National Environmental Health Strategy "…as those aspects of human health determined by physical, chemical, biological and social factors in the environment."

The practice of environmental health involves the implementation of approaches based on risk management and evidence-based decision making and includes the assessment, correction, control and prevention of environmental factors that can adversely affect health, as well as the enhancement of those aspects of the environment that can improve human health.

Environmental Health Team

The Environmental Health team is involved in a broad range of functions and it is responsible for implementing the environmental health provisions of the Public Health Act 2010 , Public Health Regulation 2012 , Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008 , Smoke-Free Environment Act 2000 , and the Smoke-free Environment Regulation 2016 .

The team is particularly involved in the following areas of environmental health:

 Water quality in public swimming and spa pools 

 Skin penetration procedures 

 Legionella control in regulated systems 

 Disposal of the deceased 

 Tobacco control 

 Waste Water management 

It also provides advice in the areas of human health risk assessment, safe drinking water supplies, recreational water quality, arbovirus control, air quality, asbestos contamination, and environmental sound and vibration.

The team closely works with key stakeholders in the community, local and state government, and other government agencies, and it has an established working relationship with environmental health staff in all 11 councils within the Northern Sydney Local Health District, which includes:

 Northern Beaches Council 

 Hornsby Council 

 City of Ryde Council 

 Mosman Council 

 North Sydney Council 

  Hunters Hill Council 

 Ku-ring-gai Council 

 Lane Cove Council 

 Willoughby City Council