How pollution interacts with public health, environmental medicine and the environment has undergone dramatic
change. Recent oil spills in the Yellowstone River, Alaska tundra and Enbridge (Wisconsin) demonstrate how
pollution can directly and indirectly impact man’s health. Events of this kind bring back memory of the Gulf of Mexico
spill. These disasters are not only impacting environmental factors associated with nature, but human factors as well;
including many that are not well recognized. There has been an increased awareness of how pollution is observed
regarding its health impact and attitudes toward public health and environmental medicine. Damage from oil spills
will not only influence public health but overall disease rates for years to come. As environmental pollution increases
so will the importance of environmental medicine in managing its consequences.
