Human Health Research Improves Risk Assessment

The Human Health Research Program at EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides a strategic approach to develop and evaluate the methods, tools, and data needed to improve risk assessments to protect the public. The program is uniquely multidisciplinary and integrated to meet the basic research needs of the Agency. The program's fundamental science is answering questions such as those below.

• What are the biological processes that occur from exposure?
• Why are certain populations more sensitive to pollutants than others?
• How does exposure to chemical mixtures affect human health?

Human Health Research Reduces Scientific Uncertainties

Risk assessments are enhanced when there is less reliance on assumptions and simplified approaches. The Human Health Research Program is providing the data to reduce uncertainties and improve risk assessments. Studies to understand exposures, toxic doses, and health effects are providing understanding that can lead to protection of public health.

Human Health Research Supports Decision Making

The Human Health Research Program provides the fundamental science needed to solve environmental problems. Core research provides information about underlying key biological, chemical, and physical processes that can be used to solve real-world environmental problems. The Human Health Research Program is filling the gaps in knowledge to move risk assessment forward and better protect the public health.

This site describes the Human Health Research Program, one of eight interdisciplinary research programs established by EPA's Office of Research and Development to address high priority research needs of the Agency. The site provides information on the program's science objectives, goals, research activities and accomplishments. To advance risk assessments, four main research themes have been identified.

• Biological (Mechanistic) Research
  Research can save lives and reduce diseases by providing the knowledge needed to understand underlying biological processes that are triggered when individuals are exposed to environmental contaminants. This mechanistic information can be used to understand potential risks to the public and advance EPA's ability to conduct risk assessments.
• Cumulative Risk Research
  Research is providing clues to what happens when we are exposed to the many chemical mixtures in the environment. Assessing the cumulative risks posed by exposure to mixtures of pollutants is important to improving EPA's risk assessments to protect the public.
• Research on Susceptible Subpopulations and Lifestages
  Research can protect the health of our aging population, children, specific ethnic/cultural groups, and those with certain genetic and/or medical conditions (such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and other chronic diseases), by providing new insights into how environmental pollutants may affect susceptible lifestages and subpopulations.
• Tools for Risk Management Decisions
  Research is providing the measurement tools and biological indicators needed to assess the impact of regulatory decisions on public health. The research will enable EPA to better evaluate public health outcomes and determine the effectiveness of actions to reduce health risks.