Last month's controversial feature on the proposed housing hazard rating system (EHJ, October, page 330) has sparked some fierce debate. David Ormandy of Warwick University, a key player in developing the system, feels so passionately about the issue that he is preparing an in-depth response for publication in December. However, with the launch of Environmental Health Journal's on-line forum why not air your views live on the web now and contribute some valuable opinion to the discussion. Back to this issue, and my first feature as editor of EHJ sees me delve straight into the complex issue of noise pollution. The Government's plans to modernise licensing laws have provoked a tide of concern from local authorities who are struggling to see where the extra funding for enforcement will come from.

The results of a survey on chemical incidents make interesting reading are you clear what role EHOs play in chemical incident management and is your authority as prepared as it should be? We've practical new suggestions on benchmarking on, where we explain how a simple statistical model can help environmental health managers achieve a precise and meaningful comparison of officer inspection rating scores. And finally, can you afford to close the issue without arming yourself against the notorious tiger mosquito, subject of this month's pest control feature. I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I have enjoyed working on it. If you have any comments or ideas please join our forum page or write to me at EHJ and share your views. I look forward to hearing from you!

Tracey Khanna, Editor