Welcome to the Marion County
Environmental Health Division
The Environmental Health Division is the inspectional arm of the Health District. Through a variety of licenses and permits, Environmental Health staff monitors operations with public health significance and impact.
Additional activities mandated by regulation or need are also part of this program. All programs are keyed to the prevention of personal injury, the prevention of unnecessary illness and the improvement of the quality of life.
The Environmental Health Division of the Marion County Health Department
is now located in the lower level of the Marion County Building at
222 West Center Street, Marion, Ohio.
To contact them, please call 740-223-4162, or fax
740-223-4225.
   
Environmental
Health Programs l Food Safety l
Household Sewage Treatment Systems
Mosquito Program l
Solid
Waste Disposal l Nuisances l
Plumbing
Private Water Program l
Rabies
Control l Swimming
Pool l Other
Activities
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The Environmental Health program consists of a variety of activities, all legally constituted and mandated by Board of Health regulation or State law. Each program consists of several activities Sanitarians must inspect operations or premises to compare what is found to a standard (the regulation or law) and then evaluate the inspectional findings to determine compliance with the standard. There is also an enforcement provision for those persons or operations that do not meet standards and an educational and informational component to help upgrade licensed operations and to inform the general public.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FEE SCHEDULE
Word -
webpage
If
you would like information on Radon, please follow
this link:
http://www.epa.gov/radon/radonqa1.html
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The food program consists of five inspectional activities: Food Service Operations
(FSO) (restaurants), Retail Food Establishments (RFE) (grocery stores), Food Vending Machines, Mobile Food Services and Temporary Food Operations (festivals). New and remodeled FSO and RFE construction plans are reviewed, approved and monitored until they are complete. Investigations of all food borne illnesses are completed with recommendations made to affected food operations.
Application for
FLES Plan Review
For information about
National Food Safety Programs, visit the Food and Drug
Administration's website at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/
Guidelines for Safe Handling of Raw Produce
Taken from the Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition website
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/prodsafe.html
- Begin with clean
hands. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm
water and soap before and after preparing fresh
produce.
- All produce should
be thoroughly washed before eating. This includes
produce grown conventionally or organically at home,
or produce that is purchased from a grocery store or
farmer's market. Wash fruits and vegetables under
running water just before eating, cutting or
cooking.
- Even if you plan
to peel the produce before eating, it is still
important to wash it first.
- Washing fruits and
vegetables with soap or detergent or using
commercial produce washes is not recommended.
- Scrub firm
produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean
produce brush.
- Drying produce
with a clean cloth towel or paper towel may further
reduce bacteria that may be present.
- Raw sprouts that
are served on salads, wraps, and sandwiches may
contain bacteria that can cause foodborne illness.
Rinsing sprouts first will not remove bacteria.
Home-grown sprouts also present a health risk if
they are eaten raw or lightly cooked.
- To reduce the risk
of illness, do not eat raw sprouts such as bean,
alfalfa, clover, or radish sprouts. All sprouts
should be cooked thoroughly before eating to reduce
the risk of illness.
- This advice is
particularly important for children, the elderly,
and persons with weakened immune systems, all of
whom are at risk of developing serious illness due
to foodborne disease.
- Keep fruits and
vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from
other foods such as raw meat, poultry or seafood -
and from kitchen utensils used for those products.
- Wash cutting
boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot
water and soap between preparation steps involving
different foods such as raw meat products, seafood
products, and produce.
- For added
protection, food-approved sanitizers can be used on
cutting boards and counter tops between preparation
steps. Try a solution of one teaspoon of chlorine
bleach to one quart of water.
- If you use plastic
or other non-porous cutting boards, run them through
the dishwasher after use.
To find food recall information go to:
http://www.ohioagriculture.gov/pubs/recalls.stm
Partnership for Food
Safety Education:
http://www.fightbac.org/
Consumer information about mercury in fish, and the updated table information is available at the following links:
Other Informational
Documents:
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Much of Marion County is unsewered so individual home sewage systems are necessary in order for home building to continue. Staff sanitarians evaluate each property to determine if a home sewage system can be installed, and if the designed system will work efficiently in a safe, healthy manner. Although of the land area in Marion county has soil conditions unsuitable for home sewage systems, there are thousands of home systems in use in the county. Complaints involving malfunctioning systems are investigated and orders to repair are issued with follow up action to assure correction. Sewage installers and liquid waste haulers are also registered and inspected by the Health District.
MARION
COUNTY SEWAGE INSTALLERS - pdf document
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The mosquito program in Marion County consists of three components. In light of the West Nile Virus situation education of the public is our primary tool to protect the public. This is a joint effort between the Health Education Section and Environmental Health. Surveillance entails trapping of mosquitoes throughout the county to determine if the virus is present. Collecting dead blue jays and crows and submitting them to the Ohio Department of Health to determine if the cause of death was due to West Nile Virus.
To learn about pesticides and pest control, please go to:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/index.htm
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As an EPA approved Health District, inspections are made of solid waste landfills, transfer facilities, composting facilities, scrap tire facilities, demolition facilities and generators of infectious waste. Refuse vehicles are licensed and inspected annually.
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Every citizen has the right by law to call attention to problems such as rats, insects, garbage, trash, etc. that impinge on their health, safety and well-being. These problems are considered in the nuisance section of the Official Sanitary Code of the Marion County General Health District. Individuals do not have the right to harm neighbors. Complaints are investigated in a timely manner so as to maintain proper community sanitation standards. It should be noted that there are no housing codes in Marion County.
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Clean, healthful water is a necessity for everyone. Therefore, in areas where there is no municipal water system, individual wells are necessary. Well water safety is maintained through registration of water system contractors, inspections, water sampling for laboratory analysis, technical assistance and public education. Sanitarians insure that well development meets State Code requirements to reduce the possibilities of ground water contamination. Water hauler vehicles are also inspected annually.
Serious Cross Contamination
in Yard Hydrants
Alert
for Existing Well Water
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Investigations are conducted of all animal bites reported to our department. Follow up assures that privately owned pets involved in biting incidents are vaccinated against rabies following the quarantine period
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Under this heading are the following activities: Swimming Pool and Spa Safety and Sanitation, School Sanitation, Recreational Vehicle Park Camp and Recreation Area Sanitation and Safety and Manufactured Home Park Safety and Sanitation. Upon request, pre-sale evaluations of individual water and sewage systems are performed for home buyers and mortgage lenders.
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" New public swimming pool rules are effective January 1, 2004. Licensed
pool operators are welcome to call Matt Work, MarionCounty Health
Department Director of Environmental Health at 740-387-6520 ext. 117.
To view the rules, please click on the following link:
http://www.odh.state.oh.us/Rules/Final/Chap31/Fr31_lst.htm
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Marion County Health Department has a full-time plumbing inspector for both new commercial and new residential construction. All plumbing must conform to the international plumbing code. Plumbing and occupancy permits must be obtained from the Marion County Health Department before work is started. All inspections must be done before the property can be
occupied.
If you have concerns regarding plumbing, please email your question to
bcoleman@marionhealthdept.com
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Important
Plumbing Documents |
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