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It's a New Day in Public Health.

The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

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Chemical Disease Surveillance Program (CDSP)

Contact: Florida Health

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) Bureau of Epidemiology established the Chemical Disease Surveillance Program (CDSP), which is responsible for the detection, surveillance, and notification of chemical incidents that impact the citizens and visitors of Florida. The CDSP works closely with epidemiologists located at the county health departments to follow-up and investigate chemical incidents of public health concern.

  • Surveillance Data Monitoring
  • Surveillance Reporting

The CDSP monitors multiple data sources to track health effects related to chemical exposures in Florida. These data sources include emergency department chief complaints, exposure calls to the Florida Poison Information Center Network (FPICN), State Watch Office (SWO) alerts, and news reports. Surveillance activities are designed to identify injury and illness caused by chemical exposures of public health significance or potential terrorism concern. The goal of this surveillance is to make sure that partners are made aware of the findings and to help determine whether further public health investigation or intervention is needed.

The state of Florida requires health care providers, laboratories, and other public health personnel to report the occurrences of reportable diseases. Arsenic poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, mercury poisoning, pesticide-related illness and injury, and ricin toxin poisoning are all reportable to DOH for investigation and follow-up. In addition, the CDSP, along with local DOH epidemiologists, gathers additional information on clusters of illness associated with other common chemicals or single reports of illness associated with chemicals that may be used in terrorism.