Environmental health needs in a dynamic society.

When we speak of a healthful environment, we think mainly of safe, wholesome, palatable water, of a healthful diet, of clean air, and of shelter for our families where they live, and work, and rest. The need for a healthful environment is common to all peoples: it cuts across boundaries of occupation, race, class, and politics. If it differs from neighborhood to neighborhood, and from region to region, it differs not in fundamentals but only in complexity. Today, our Nation's needs for environmental health services are the most complex in history because of the environmental changes created by economic and technological advances. The job today for environmental services is to keep up with, or ahead of, total historical trends. If we do not keep ahead of some of these changes, we may be obligated to suffer them indefinitely. Already we are dangerously behind the trend in water pollution. In communities like Los Angeles, will people continue to suffer from polluted air? Are we committed to live with a scandalous number of home and highway casualties? Are we endangering future generations by