About MassHEIS

Silent Spring Institute is committed to supporting public “right to know” about local environmental health conditions.  Often, community environmental health concerns are first expressed in maps.

Silent Spring Institute has developed an online, interactive mapping tool that brings together health, environmental, and demographic data for all towns in Massachusetts.  One of the first publicly available tools of its kind, MassHEIS represents an important step in increasing public access to essential health and environmental information from state, federal, and other nonprofit sources, and in sharing the Institute’s own research.

With the tool, residents can explore questions about the health and environment of their community and identify spatial disparities in health.  For example, users can learn about breast cancer rates in their town, locate polluting facilities near a home or school, and find out which communities may be disproportionately exposed to pollution.  Users can also explore related information that puts the maps in context and informs action in their communities and beyond.

MassHEIS was developed with funding from the Avon Foundation for Women and the National Library of Medicine.

To get started, please click here.

If you have a suggestion or questions, you can email us at info@silentspring.org.

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