The Importance of Being Ethical

This book provides an exploration of the discussion on how a stronger ethical basis for the work of EHPs can contribute to improved public health.

Providing an exploration of the discussion on how a stronger ethical basis for the work of environmental health practitioners (EHPs) can contribute to improved public health, because EHPs/environmental health officers (EHOs) come into daily contact with members of the public to address threats to their health and wellbeing. This book examines what is meant by professional ethics and the role of professional bodies in ensuring members of the profession act ethically. They should be expected to act as guardians of the public interest, without fear or favour. Ethics is an integral part of public health decision-making and needs to be incorporated into public and environmental health policy development and decision-making. This work, while seeking to stimulate debate within the environmental health profession, will examine what this means for EHPs.

Ethics and the Environmental Health Profession: The Importance of Being Ethical explores the process of ethical decision-making in the environmental health profession and asks the question of whom EHPs have an ethical duty towards in their work. It looks at a variety of ethical issues which arise for EHPs working in local government, as consultants or for commercial companies.

This book is useful for EHPs globally, other local government officers, educational establishments where environmental and public health courses are run globally, elected members of local authorities, and policymakers at national and local government levels.