About the PEHSU Program

What are Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs)?

The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) are a source of medical information and advice on environmental conditions that influence reproductive and children’s health.

PEHSUs are academically based, typically at university medical centers, and are located across the United States and Canada. These PEHSU form a network that is capable of responding to requests for information throughout North America and offering advice on prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of environmentally-related health effects in children.

Because environmental factors have a variety of impacts on the health of children and reproductive age adults, the PEHSU network has experts in pediatrics, allergy/immunology, neurodevelopment, toxicology, occupational and environmental medicine, nursing, reproductive health and other specialized areas.

What PEHSUs Do

PEHSU work with health care professionals, parents, schools and community groups, and others to provide information on protecting children and reproductive-age adults from environmental hazards. They also work with Federal, State, and local agencies to address children’s environmental health issues in homes, schools, and communities. The basic services of the PEHSU network are: 

Community Education and Outreach

• Raising awareness about environmental conditions that may harm children and families
• Guidance on preventing or reducing harmful environmental exposures in everyday situations
• Providing practical advice on helping children cope and recover during and after floods, wildfires, chemical spills and other crises

Training Health Professionals

• Conducting seminars and conferences
• Publishing peer-reviewed articles that raise environmental health literacy
• Translating health care research into medical practice
• Providing on-line educational programs and case studies on environmental health issues

Consultation and Referral

• Evaluating suspected toxic exposures
• Identifying and interpreting appropriate diagnostic tests
• Medical management
• Referral to specialty care

• PEHSU Brochure - English
• PEHSU Brochure - Spanish

PEHSU National Partnership

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry
4770 Buford Highway, NE
Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
Tel: (404) 498-0110 / Public Inquiries: (888) 422-8737
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/

US Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Children’s Health Protection
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20004
(202) 564-2188
http://www.epa.gov/

The PEHSU website is supported by the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) and funded (in part) by the cooperative agreement FAIN: U61TS000238 from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Acknowledgement: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the PEHSU by providing partial funding to ATSDR under Inter-Agency Agreement number DW-75-95877701. Neither EPA nor ATSDR endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in PEHSU publications.