Environmental Health in Israel | 2014

- 7 - This document can serve as a tool for stakeholders in the field, and can serve as a point of reference for tracking changes which will occur in this field in the future. This report includes twelve chapters, and each chapter addresses a number of issues: the effects of the relevant environmental issue on human health, current regulation and policy in Israel, relevant health data gathered in Israel in recent years, up-to-date scientific research conducted in Israel, as well as a section dedicated to summarizing the progress that has been made in this field as well as the challenges facing us. This report is the product of a joint initiative by the Public Health Services and the Environment and Health Fund. Representatives from government, institutions, non- governmental agencies, and academia contributed to the joint effort of preparing this report. This document would not have been completed were it not for the ongoing dialogue and collaboration on environmental health issues among the many organizations whose common goal is to protect public health. I would like to thank all the experts who contributed to this report, and especially Dr. Linda Birnbaum, Director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, for her unique contribution. Prof. Itamar Grotto, MD, MPH, PhD Director of Public Health Services Israel Ministry of Health Introduction