Waikato DHB's Health Protection service works closely with other regional and local organisations such as the Waikato Regional Council to monitor and manage environmental health.
Email: Health.Protection@waikatodhb.health.nz
Phone: 07 838 2569
Health protection officers inspect new early childhood centres and provide a health report, which is required before the Ministry of Education will issue a license for the centre to operate.
Infectious diseases, such as gastrointestinal diseases, can spread rapidly through early childhood education centres. Our service assists centres in managing such outbreaks.
Waikato Drinking Water Assessment Service (WaDWAS) works with territorial authorities and private drinking water supply owners to:
The drinking water service seeks to maintain and improve drinking water quality by supporting drinking water providers to implement the Drinking-water Standards for New Zealand 2005 (Revised 2008) (DWSNZ) and their duties under the Health Act 1956, Part 2A, Drinking water.
Compliance reporting is done each year and the findings are published in the Annual Report on Drinking-water Quality, Ministry of Health.
Asbestos is the name used for a group of natural minerals that are made up of many small fibres. In the past, the properties of asbestos made it popular for things, such as:
Products and appliances with asbestos content may still be around, particularly in homes built before 1984.
Asbestos is a risk to health only when it is inhaled as fine dust. The risk to health increases with the number of fibres inhaled and with frequency of exposure.
The highest risk of exposure to asbestos in the home is through home renovation, by cutting or drilling through asbestos-cement sheeting or sanding down lino or tiles containing asbestos.
Testing a sample in an approved laboratory is the only way to find out if a material contains asbestos.
If you need to get a sample tested, contact a health protection officer at Population Health.
Any samples you deliver or take to the health protection officer should be in a sealed envelope or in a zip-lock bag.
If there is asbestos or Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) confirmed by laboratory analysis in your home, you should talk with a health protection officer about your options:
The Ministry of Health strongly advises that you use certified contractors to remove ACMs as exposure to asbestos fibres is a danger to health.
If you still intend to do the work yourself make sure you follow the advice in the Ministry of Health booklet Removing Asbestos From the Home.
Public Health works with the Waikato Regional Council and local councils to assess the suitability of monitored lakes and coastal high-use beaches for recreational use.
We monitor certain lakes and beaches for cyanobacteria, enterococci and E. coli levels and compare them against national guidelines.
If the levels are above the national guidelines, then a public health warning is issued so the public is fully aware of any health risks before they use a monitored beach or lake.