Health and the Environment
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On this page:
- Research on Health Effects from Air Pollution
- Human Health and Climate Change
- Health and Water Research
- Research on COVID in the Environment
- Human Health Risk Assessment
- Lead (Pb) Research
How and where are people exposed to potentially harmful pollutants, chemicals, and other contaminants in the environment? What are the health risks from those exposures? And what tools, information, and other resources can EPA researchers provide to advance cleaner air, water, and land for healthier, more sustainable communities? Those are some of the key questions our health researchers and their partners are working to answer.
Below are links to learn more about EPA research on health and the environment.
Research on Health Effects from Air Pollution
Our researchers are leading the effort to advance what is known about the health effects of air pollution. Together with their grantees and partners they are working to better understand the role that poor air quality plays in causing and/or exacerbating conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular events (including heart attacks and strokes) and other detrimental health impacts—especially in children, the elderly, and people living in areas with high levels of air pollution.
Human Health and Climate Change
Our researchers are working to understand the human health implications of the changing climate. The goal is to provide information that can be used to help people make informed decision about how to protect themselves in the face of heat waves and other extreme weather events, and by medical and other health professionals to develop plans and strategies to prevent or minimize public health impacts from climate change.
Health and Water Research
Clean, abundant water is crucial to public health. Our health-related water research supports drinking water standards and other policies that protect people from waterborne illnesses, improves methods to measure human exposure to pathogens and contaminants in drinking water, and prioritizes pathogen groups and information on the health risks of waterborne pathogens.
Research on COVID in the Environment
Our researchers are working to reduce the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This research will help states, tribes, local, and territorial governments, including public health agencies, guide homeowners, business owners, and workplace managers to reduce the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
Human Health Risk Assessment
Our researchers conduct human health risk assessments to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects in humans who may be exposed to chemicals in the environment. EPA’s Health and Environmental Risk Assessment Research Program is designed to develop and apply state-of-the-science research to characterize the impacts on human and ecological systems, whether they result from exposure to single, complex, or multiple physical, chemical, or biological stressors.
Lead (Pb) Research
Even though lead (Pb) exposures have dramatically declined in recent decades, they still pose serious risks to public health. Our researchers are conducting research across the environment and at critical life stages to understand and mitigate risks associated with exposure to lead.