Abstract
Water related chemical incidents have received greater attention in the UK in recent years, particularly as a result of the Camelford and River Dee incidents in the 1980s. A number of organisations are involved in chemical incidents; however, it is health authorities that have the responsibility for protection of the public health from environmental hazards. This paper reports on a nationwide survey of the management of water related chemical incidents within health authorities. The survey was conducted by sending a postal questionnaire to a number of health authorities and health boards across England and Scotland. The survey confirmed that public health doctors are aware of their responsibilities with regard to the management of non-infectious environmental hazards; however many lack experience managing chemical incidents. It is concluded that greater use could be made of the resources available to assist in the management of water-related chemical incidents. In particular a good working relationship with water companies and local authority environmental health departments is crucial to successful incident management. Finally, a need for wider dissemination of lessons learnt from incident management through publication has been identified.