Research and analysis

Environmental public health surveillance system (EPHSS): an introduction

Updated 29 May 2025

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UKHSA바카라 사이트™s Environmental Public Health Surveillance System (EPHSS) provides a comprehensive, surveillance capability that allows the public health community to interrogate data and intelligence gathered on environmental hazards, exposures and related health outcomes.

EPHSS receives regular data feeds from selected databases, provided by UKHSA databases and partnering public sector agencies (for example, the Met Office and Food Standards Agency). This data is collated and integrated within the system to provide users with surveillance data to support public health interventions and advice. EPHSS has the functionality to generate summaries of surveillance data, graphs, tables and charts and automated routine reports as well as user-defined outputs. It also facilitates access to datasets required for public health decision-making.

EPHSS makes evidence-based information on these environmental matters available to the public health community, external stakeholders, partners and collaborating organisations. The system ensures that we collect environmental data:

  • only once
  • on acute incidents as well as chronic exposures
  • and make it available thereafter to those with authorised access

Currently, there are four modules within EPHSS with different functionalities.

EPHSS Modules

1. Environmental Events Surveillance

This module provides surveillance of environmental events and incidents occurring in England with the potential to impact health. UKHSA is notified of environmental events and incidents in order to provide public health input and advice. These events are logged on UKHSA바카라 사이트™s Chemical Incident Reporting and Information System (CIRIS). Daily uploads from this database are imported into EPHSS so that surveillance reports can be generated on the number and type of events over time and by geography. This module is currently available to UKHSA staff only, with future plans for external users바카라 사이트™ access.

2. Lead Exposure in Children Surveillance System (LEICSS)

Reports of elevated blood lead concentrations in children are reported to UKHSA for case management. EPHSS delivers the Lead Exposure in Children Surveillance System (LEICSS) and can be interrogated to produce user defined reports on the number and demographics of cases. EPHSS can also generate maps with a breakdown of cases per region within a selected time period. This module is currently available to UKHSA staff only, with future plans for external users바카라 사이트™ access.

3. Met Office Dataset Interface (MODI)

The Met Office Dataset Interface (MODI) allows access to the Met Office Integrated Data Archive System (MIDAS) data sets which are derived from observational records, measured and quality-controlled from hundreds of weather stations in the UK. Through this module users submit a data request to the Met Office specifying the relevant weather and pollen parameters and a data download facility allows off-line analysis for the public health community.

Non-UKHSA access to the MODI module is being trialed at the moment. See registration details below.

4. Chemical Food Contamination module

This module provides information and data on food contamination from the Food Standards Agency for use in managing risks to public health. Surveillance within EPHSS is concerned with environmental and chemical contamination of food, excluding radiation. This module is only available for UKHSA staff.

What can EPHSS be used for?

EPHSS users can:

  • search and view the details of environmental incidents reported
  • run pre-defined reports at any time
  • access many types of data inputs and outputs from a single source
  • use data for research and teaching purposes

EPHSS follows best practices in information governance, which includes the restriction of access, data protection and data sharing agreements and protocols between organisations and with the individual system users.

For more information on EPHSS, contact the project team:  ephss@ukhsa.gov.uk

For registration:

For Access:

Recent reports

Environmental Public Health Surveillance System (EPHSS) report for 2021 to 2023

Lead Exposure in Children Surveillance System (LEICSS) annual report, 2024

Water fluoridation: health monitoring report for England 2022

See UKHSA data strategy for more information on the UKHSA strategy vision.

Contact details

For more information on EPHT, contact the Environmental Epidemiology Group: epht@phe.gov.uk

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