Environmental Hazards and Health Effects

Air Pollution and Respiratory Health
The Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Program (APRHB) leads CDC’s fight against environmental-related respiratory illnesses, including asthma, and studies indoor and outdoor air pollution ...more

Asthma
Asthma is a serious environmental health threat, but it can be controlled by taking medication and by avoiding contact with environmental "triggers" such as dust mites, furry pets, mold, tobacco smoke, and certain chemicals. CDC works with state grantees to reduce the number of deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, school days or workdays missed, and limitations on activity due to asthma ...more

Cancer Clusters
A cancer cluster is a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time. CDC provides cancer cluster information and resources, responds to inquiries about cancer clusters, and works with state health departments to address public health concerns about potential cancer clusters ...more

Carbon Monoxide
CDC works with national and state data sources to monitor, evaluate, and present information on carbon-monoxide-related illness and death in the U.S ...more

Environmental Public Health Tracking
Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) is the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data on environmental hazards, exposures to those hazards, and health effects that may be related to the exposures. The goal of tracking is to provide information that can be used to plan, apply, and evaluate actions to prevent and control environmentally related diseases ...more

FEMA Trailer Study
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responding to concerns about air quality in FEMA temporary housing units ...more

Harmful Algal Blooms
CDC is supporting surveillance programs, epidemiologic studies, and laboratory research to further define the relation between exposure to organisms involved in harmful algal blooms and human illness ...more

Health Studies
CDC investigates the human health effects of exposure to environmental hazards ranging from chemical pollutants to natural, technologic, or terrorist disasters. The results are used to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies for preventing or reducing harmful exposures ...more

Mold
CDC provides information on mold and health, an inventory of state indoor air quality programs, advice on assessment, cleanup efforts, and prevention of mold growth, and links to resources ...more

Radiation Studies
CDC identifies potentially harmful environmental exposures to ionizing radiation and associated toxicants, conducts energy-related health research, and responds to protect the public’s health in the event of an emergency involving radiation or radioactive materials ...more

US-Mexico Border Environmental Health
CDC identifies environmental health issues, trains and develops human resources, and conducts environmental epidemiologic research in the U.S.-Mexico border area ...more

Water-Related Environmental Public Health
CDC is working to identify, investigate, and track health hazards associated with water, measure exposure of people to these hazards, and prevent health effects from these hazards ..more