(a) The Department of Public Health shall cause all proper sanitary information in its possession to be forwarded promptly to the local health authorities of any town, city, borough or county in the state which requests the same, adding thereto such useful suggestions as the experience of said department may supply. The local health authorities shall supply like information to said department, together with a copy of their reports and other publications. Said department may require reports and information at such times and of such facts, and generally of such nature and extent, relating to the safety of life and promotion of health, as its rules provide, from all public dispensaries, hospitals, asylums, infirmaries, prisons and schools, from the officers thereof and from all other public institutions, their officers and managers, and from the proprietors, managers, lessees and occupants of all places of public resort in the state; but such reports and information shall only be required relating to matters concerning which said department may in its opinion need information for the discharge of its duties. Said department shall, when requested by public authorities, advise officers of the state or local government in regard to sanitary drainage, and the location, drainage, ventilation and sanitary provisions of any public institution, building or place. Said department shall give all information that may be reasonably requested, concerning any threatened danger to the public health, to local directors of health and to all other sanitary authorities in the state, who shall give like information to said department; and said department and such directors and sanitary authorities shall cooperate to prevent the spread of disease, and for the protection of life and the promotion of health.

(b) The Department of Public Health shall cause all information concerning a discharge, spillage, uncontrolled loss, seepage or filtration of oil or petroleum or chemical liquids or solid, liquid or gaseous products or hazardous wastes upon any land or into any of the waters of the state or into any offshore or coastal waters which may result in a threatened danger to the public health to be transmitted to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the chief executive officer and the local director of health of the municipality in which such discharge, spillage, uncontrolled loss, seepage or filtration occurs. Such information shall be provided in a timely manner.

(1949 Rev., S. 3809; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 90-276, S. 2; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; Sec. 19-18 transferred to Sec. 19a-47 in 1983; P.A. 90-276 added Subsec. (b) re notification of certain spills; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2011.