Printed fact sheets and brochures are also available free of charge by mail within the U.S.
Make A RequestIf you are giving a presentation about an environmental health topic or just looking for general information about environmental health research or the institute, this webpage will help.
Air Pollution and Your Health
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NIEHS is a leader in funding and conducting research on how air pollution affects health. The institute also studies the population groups who are most affected by air pollution.
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08/2020Asbestos: Worker and Employer Guide to Hazards and Recommended Controls
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Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil. Because of its fiber strength and heat resistance, asbestos has been used in many materials produced for building or home construction, particularly if they were manufactured prior to 1980, such as shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, and attic and pipe insulation. If these materials are broken, crushed, or disturbed, the asbestos fibers may be released into the air and become a health hazard. High exposures to asbestos may occur during demolition and rebuilding.
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06/2015Asthma and Its Environmental Triggers
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Asthma is a chronic lung disease. Common symptoms are wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in lungs swell and the airways shrink, making it harder to breathe.
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05/2019Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Environment
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Research shows that both genetics and environmental factors likely play a role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) supports research to discover how the environment may influence ASD.
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04/2019Autoimmune Diseases and Your Environment
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A healthy immune system defends the body against disease and infection. But if the immune system malfunctions, it mistakenly attacks healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Called autoimmune disease, these attacks can affect any part of the body, weakening bodily function and even turning life-threatening.
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04/2020Breast Cancer Risk and Environmental Factors
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NIEHS plays a leadership role in funding and conducting studies on the ways in which genetic and environmental factors may affect a woman's chance of developing breast cancer. Understanding these factors presents tremendous opportunity for disease prevention.
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09/2021Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation Studies
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NTP conducted toxicology studies on potential health hazards, including cancer risk, associated with using 2G and 3G cellphones.
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02/2023Children’s Health – Why the Environment Matters
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NIEHS is committed to understanding how the environment affects children’s development and health. Children’s environmental health research funded by the institute focuses on preconception, prenatal, and childhood environmental exposures to certain chemicals, pollutants, nutrients, and activities.
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09/2019Climate Change and Human Health
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While climate change is a global process, it has both local and regional impacts that may affect communities. Every American may be vulnerable to the effects of climate change at some point in their lives, no matter where they live. NIEHS leads and coordinates NIH efforts to better understand how climate change may affect people’s health.
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06/2022Cosmetics and Hair Dye
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Millions of women and men around the world use cosmetics to enhance or change their appearance. The common term makeup refers to cosmetics such as foundation, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, blush, and lipstick. Other cosmetics may include nail polish, body wash and moisturizers, perfumes, and hair coloring or styling products.
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02/2020Drinking Water and Your Health
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Drinking water in the U.S. comes from a variety of sources, including public water systems, private wells, or bottled water. Worldwide, nearly 2 billion people drink contaminated water that could be harmful to their health. Though more of a concern in developing countries, safe drinking water is a U.S. public health priority.
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07/2020
Electric and Magnetic Fields Associated with the Use of Electric Power: Questions and Answers (English)
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Since the mid-twentieth century, electricity has been an essential part of our lives. Electricity powers our appliances, office equipment, and countless other devices that we use to make life safer, easier, and more interesting. Use of electric power is something we take for granted.
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06/2002Endocrine Disruptors and Your Health
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Endocrine disruptors are natural or human-made chemicals that may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system.
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03/2023Environment and Health A to Z
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No two people live in the exact same environment. The SOIL beneath our feet, the AIR we breathe, and the WATER flowing through our pipes and waterways can all differ greatly, depending on where we live. On top of that, each of us eats different foods, shares our space with different plants and animals, and has access to different medicines and technology. NIEHS explores the connections between the environment and health, gathering scientific knowledge to help prevent human disease.
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11/2022Fellowship Grant Awards
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NIEHS offers a variety of Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowships. These fellowship awards support full-time research training for predoctoral and postdoctoral students, as well as experienced scientists wishing to broaden their scientific background.
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02/2019Flame Retardants
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Flame retardants are various chemicals applied to materials to help prevent burning or slow the spread of fire. The term applies to the function, not a specific composition, of such chemicals.
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02/2023Integrated Chemical Environment (ICE) and Open Structure-activity/property Relationship App (OPERA)
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ICE provides data and tools for the development and evaluation of new chemical safety testing methods.
OPERA is a free and open-source quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) tool.
OPERA is a free and open-source quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) tool.
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03/2023
Lead and Your Health
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Any amount of lead in the body can harm your health. NIEHS supports research to find out who is affected by lead exposure and the range of health effects caused by lead.
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05/2021Lung Health and Your Environment
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Research supported by NIEHS shows that protecting lung health requires strategies to improve our environment and lifestyle choices.
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04/2022Medio Ambiente Y Salud, De La A a La Z
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No hay dos personas que vivan exactamente en el mismo entorno. La tierra debajo de nuestros pies, el aire que respiramos y el agua que fluye a través de nuestras tuberías y vías fluviales pueden ser muy diferentes, dependiendo de dónde vivamos. Por si fuera poco, cada uno de nosotros come diferentes alimentos, comparte un mismo espacio con diferentes plantas y animales, y tiene acceso a diferentes medicamentos y tecnología.
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11/2022Microbiome
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The microbiome is the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live on and inside our bodies. The microbiome is diverse, and each body site, for example, the gut, skin, and oral and nasal cavities, is home to a community of microbes.
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05/2022Mold and Your Health
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A microorganism and type of fungus, molds are part of the natural environment and can be found everywhere, outside and indoors. Health-related reactions in people depend on mold type, the amount and duration of exposure, and individual characteristics.
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11/2021National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
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The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is one of 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIEHS is located in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina.
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10/2022NIEHS Scholars Connect Program
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The NIEHS Scholars Connect Program provides opportunities for undergraduate students from underrepresented groups, who are focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), to connect with the NIEHS community and engage in emerging areas of research, training, and career-oriented activities.
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12/2022NIEHS Strategic Plan 2018-2023 (Booklet)
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The mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives.
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10/2018NIEHS Strategic Plan 2018-2023 (Tri-Fold)
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The mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives.
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10/2018NIEHS Summer Internship Program
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The Summer Internship Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) provides an opportunity to spend a summer working at the institute, side by side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to environmental health research.
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09/2022NIEHS Sustainability Report 2019
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The Institute’s mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.
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12/2019NIH Disaster Research Response (DR2) Program
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The National Institutes of Health Disaster Research Response (DR2) program leads U.S. efforts and works with global partners to improve capacity for timely research related to disasters and public health emergencies. NIEHS coordinates the program. Disasters and public health emergencies result in unique combinations of human exposures to toxic substances, hazards, and stressors; yet too often, basic questions about the health and safety of communities, responders, and workers affected by these events go unanswered.
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04/2022NTP Botanical Dietary Supplements Program
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Botanical dietary supplements, sometimes called herbals or herbal dietary supplements, are products made from plants.
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08/2020NTP Chemical Effects in Biological Systems (CEBS)
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Chemical Effects in Biological Systems (CEBS), an integrated database of toxicology and toxicogenomics study information and data from NTP, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), other government agencies, academia, and pharmaceutical companies.
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12/2019NTP Developmental NeuroToxicity Data Integration and Visualization Enabling Resource (DNT-DIVER)
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DNT-DIVER is a free public resource that hosts data from multiple in vitro and alternative animal assays, which are uniformly analyzed using Benchmark Concentration (BMC) methods.
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01/2020NTP Nonneoplastic Lesion Atlas
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The NTP Nonneoplastic Lesion Atlas is a new searchable, Web-based resource containing thousands of high-quality images and guidelines for diagnosis of nonneoplastic lesions in experimental rodent models.
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03/2019Occupational Health: Why the Environment Matters
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Occupational health is a specialty that strives to keep people safe and well in the workplace. Work can affect physical, mental, and social well-being in many ways.
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03/2023Overview: Training and Career Development Opportunities
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Developing a diverse biomedical workforce is an important part of the NIEHS mission to advance environmental health. To that end, NIEHS supports a wide range of high-quality internships, training, and career development opportunities.
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02/2023Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH)
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The PEPH program brings together scientists, community members, educators, health care providers, public health officials, and policymakers to coordinate environmental public health research at local, state, regional, tribal, national, and global levels.
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03/2015Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
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PFAS are a large, complex, and ever-expanding group of manufactured compounds that are widely used to make everyday products more resistant to stains, grease, and water.
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03/2019Postdoctoral Training at NIEHS
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The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is one of 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unlike the majority of NIH institutes located in Bethesda, Md., NIEHS is located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, a major U.S. center of biotechnology and health research.
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09/2019Report on Carcinogens, The
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The Report on Carcinogens is a scientific and public health document that identifies substances that pose a cancer hazard for people in the United States. It is intended to help people make informed decisions about their own health.
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12/2021Reproductive Health in Females and Males
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Reproductive health refers to the condition of female and male reproductive systems during all life stages. NIEHS conducts and funds research to understand how our environment may affect reproductive health.
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02/2020Superfund Research Program
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The Superfund Research Program (SRP) has provided practical, scientific solutions to protect health, the environment, and communities since 1987. SRP works to learn more about ways to protect the public from exposure to hazardous substances, such as industrial solvents, arsenic, lead, and mercury, which can cause death, disease, and birth defects. These and other toxic substances are found in contaminated water, soil, and air at Superfund waste sites throughout the United States.
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10/2022Systematic Review
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Systematic review is a method for answering specific research questions. It should not be confused with a regular literature search. It is much more than that. Systematic review uses a predefined, multistep process to identify, select, critically assess, and synthesize evidence from scientific studies to reach a conclusion.
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02/2015Tox21: Toxicology Testing in the 21st Century
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The Toxicology in the 21st Century program, or Tox21, is a unique collaboration between several federal agencies to develop new ways to rapidly test whether chemicals may affect human health.
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12/2019Worker Training Program
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The Worker Training Program (WTP) provides health and safety training for thousands of workers who may be involved in handling hazardous materials or in responding to emergency releases of hazardous materials. These workers gain new skills on how to safely handle, remove, and contain hazardous waste, such as chemicals, asbestos, radiation, and lead.
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