EHS-Net Partners - New York

The New York State Department of Health is an EHS-Net research and practice partner working on food and water projects in FY 2010-2015.

Relationship Between Restaurant Inspections and Outbreaks

This EHS-Net project will examine the relationship between restaurant inspections and foodborne illness outbreaks. New York staff will look at all 2008 and 2009 New York restaurant outbreaks. Staff will compare results from the routine inspection conducted immediately before the outbreak to results from two earlier routine inspections of that restaurant.

This comparison will show whether the number or type of inspection violations in the outbreak restaurant increased immediately before the outbreak compared to inspections conducted the year or two before the outbreak. Study results will show whether inspection results might predict foodborne illness outbreaks.

Water Practice Projects

The New York State Department of Health is using fluid dynamics software to

• Improve methods used to evaluate water treatment processes and
• Find out how well proposed disinfection contact systems in plant designs will work.

Other activities under way in New York State include projects to

• Determine types and concentrations of pharmaceuticals and personal care products beneath on-site septic systems in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed.
• Look at the department’s problem alerts and concurrent emergency department syndromic surveillance.
• Assess and summarize private well testing in Rockland County to estimate whether contaminants in private wells in the county exceed national and state drinking water standards.