Laws on Defamation: Could They Affect Environmental Health Professionals? (Legal Briefs)

Sikora, Vincent A., Journal of Environmental Health

Environmental health professionals generally have a wealth of information, suspicions, and opinions about businesses in a community. For example, a health inspector would know about the sanitary conditions of various establishments--that occasionally some kitchens do not wash or pluck their chickens, that a septic-tank installer may cut corners and use inferior-grade materials, that a hotel's kiddie pool sometimes lacks adequate chlorine and that its guests may urinate in the pool, or that the department receives many complaints about certain apartments having rats or roaches. Although such conditions and actions may not be illegal, the information, suspicions, and opinions could be embarrassing or financially harmful to some person or some business.

As a matter of human nature, sometimes that information is shared with co-workers, family, friends, neighbors, or acquaintances. This kind of dialogue raises several questions. One issue is department policy …

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Publication information: Article title: Laws on Defamation: Could They Affect Environmental Health Professionals? (Legal Briefs). Contributors: Sikora, Vincent A. - Author. Journal title: Journal of Environmental Health. Volume: 64. Issue: 10 Publication date: June 2002. Page number: 29+. © 1999 National Environmental Health Association. COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.

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