Turning Science into Action
People are exposed to increasing amounts of toxic chemicals in air, food, water, personal care and cleaning products, at home and at work. The problem is so large, we cannot protect ourselves with individual actions alone - we need policy change.
That's why we share the science and best scientific methods to inform and guide policies that protect people from harmful chemicals, particularly those who are especially vulnerable such as pregnant people and children, and those who are disproportionately impacted.
How to Strengthen EPA's Mission to Protect Health
To help EPA put science and public health front and center, PRHE collaborated with top scientists and chemical policy experts from around the country to develop evidence-based recommendations to improve hazard and risk assessment, and prevent harms from chemicals and pollutants.
Major Policy Areas
Chemicals and TSCA
We analyze federal chemical policy and EPA's implementation of the updated Toxic Substances Control Act, the law that governs regulations of chemicals in commerce.
Science Integrity
PRHE developed the Navigation Guide systematic review methodology to better evaluate the quality and strength of the evidence on how hazardous chemicals impact health.
Industry Documents
From lead and tobacco to hiding the truth about fossil fuels and climate, polluters have a long history of manipulating science and public opinion to maintain their corporate interests. We help gather these documents as part of UCSF's Industry Documents Library.
Policy Strategies
Public Comments
We monitor EPA and other regulatory body actions and comment on whether they are following the best science and protecting health. Public comments are essential to holding government agencies accountable.
Legislative Briefings
PRHE planned legislative briefings to inform policymakers and staff about issues related to implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act and science and decision making at EPA.
Science Action Network
PRHE launched the Science Action Network for Health and the Environment to bring together environmental health scientists to be a strong voice for science integrity and to prioritize health in chemical and environmental policy.
Published Papers
Environmental exposures, including widespread industrial pollution, impact human health and are amplified in more highly exposed communities. Policy and regulatory frameworks for making decisions and recommendations on interventions to mitigate or prevent exposures tend to narrowly focus on exposure and some health-related data related to risks.
There has been considerable work over the past 20 years designed to bring about a paradigm shift in regulatory toxicology from chemical risk management decisions based on data from animal studies to a “Next Generation Risk Assessments” (NGRAs) system founded on New Approach Methods (NAMs).
Systematic reviews were first developed in clinical medicine to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. Systematic review methods are now increasingly being used to inform environmental health decisions, and they have a direct, long-term effect on health equity due to improved consistency, greater transparency, and reduced bias when evaluating the scientific evidence.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of widely-used chemicals that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate in humans and animals, becoming an increasing cause for global concern. While PFAS have been commercially produced since the 1940s, their toxicity was not publicly established until the late 1990s. The objective of this paper is to evaluate industry documents on PFAS and compare them to the public health literature in order to understand this consequential delay.
Schaefer and colleagues at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a systematic review to identify candidate studies for development of a toxicological reference value (TRV) for oral cadmium exposure. We are encouraged that FDA is utilizing systematic review, and strongly support its ongoing use.
The environmental and health crisis caused by climate change is already upon us—from extreme weather events such as heat waves and droughts, to related social unrest, and chemical pollutant exposure—we are experiencing the sheer unmitigated effects resulting from ever-growing fossil fuel combustion and release of other greenhouse gas emissions.
A Science-Based Agenda for Health-Protective Chemical Assessments and Decisions
Hazard identification, risk assessment, regulatory, and policy activity are usually conducted on a chemical-by-chemical basis. Grouping chemicals into categories or classes is an underutilized approach that could make risk assessment and management of chemicals more efficient for regulators.