One health—Transdisciplinary opportunities for SETAC leadership in integrating and improving the health of people, animals, and the environment

A. Alonso Aguirre, Val R. Beasley, Tom Augspurger, William H. Benson, Janet Whaley, Niladri Basu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

One Health is a collaborative, transdisciplinary effort working locally, nationally, and globally to improve health for people, animals, plants, and the environment. The term is relatively new (from ∼2003), and it is increasingly common to see One Health included by name in interinstitutional research partnerships, conferences, communications, and organizational frameworks, particularly those championed by the human health and veterinary medical communities. Environmental quality is arguably the least developed component within the One Health framework, but can be guided by expertise within the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Despite SETAC's long history of tripartite (academic, government, business) interdisciplinary environmental science activities, the term “One Health” is seldom used in SETAC communications (i.e., many of SETAC's activities are guided by One Health, but it is called by other names in SETAC's journals, newsletters, and presentations). Accordingly, the objective of this Focus article is to introduce the One Health concept to the SETAC membership. The article discusses the origins, evolution, and utility of the One Health approach as an organizational framework and provides key examples of ways in which SETAC expertise can benefit the One Health community. The authors assert that One Health needs SETAC and, to be most effective, SETAC needs One Health. Given that One Health to date has focused too little on the environment, on ecosystems, and on contaminants, SETAC's constructive involvement in One Health presents an opportunity to accelerate actions that will ultimately better protect human and ecosystem health. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2383–2391.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2383-2391
Number of pages9
JournalEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Volume35
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'One health—Transdisciplinary opportunities for SETAC leadership in integrating and improving the health of people, animals, and the environment'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this