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Research Programs
Human Health Risk
Human Health Risk
In fulfilling its mission of protecting human health, one of EPA's primary tasks is to conduct risk assessments. Through risk assessments, researchers seek to understand the fundamental processes that underlie human health problems that are caused by pollutants or toxic substances in the environment. The risk assessment process integrates scientific data on exposure and associated adverse outcomes and provides scientific guidance to decision-makers.
Read more about the process of risk assessment.
EPA's human health research is based on the belief that uncertainties in risk assessments can be reduced by a better understanding of the fundamental factors that determine a person's exposure to pollutants, the dose of pollutants, and the biological changes caused by pollutants. Research concerning these factors benefits the public by supporting risk-management decisions that achieve the optimal balance between costs and public-health protection.
EPA's efforts to protect human health from the adverse effects of environmental pollutants are concentrated in four main research areas:
- applying mechanistic information to reduce uncertainties in the risk assessment process,
- assessing the cumulative risks posed by exposure to mixtures of pollutants,
- and understanding the risks posed to particularly susceptible populations; and
- evaluating public health outcomes to determine the effectiveness of actions taken to reduce health risks.
