The Harvard Chan National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Center for Environmental Health is a coordinated set of resources and facilities supporting environmental health research and training activities throughout the greater Boston area. The center promotes integration between basic and applied environmental science, and fosters collaborations that cross departmental and institutional boundaries.
We now know about the severe health impacts of tiny airborne particles or PM2.5, thanks in large part to the groundbreaking “Six Cities” study that started in the 1970s. The leaders of that team were Doug Dockery, who became chair of Environmental Health at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Arden Pope, now a distinguished professor of agricultural economics at Brigham Young University. They are co-authors of the 2025 book, Particles of Truth: A Story of Discovery, Controversy, and the Fight for Healthy Air, and they share with Host Steve Curwood the story of how they undertook their vital research and the industry pushback they received.
This fall, we started a new working group focused on community-engaged research in environmental health, held a number of seminars and a Specific Aims Review Session, and celebrated the promotion of our Center’s new investigator, Dr. Adam Haber, to associate professor. Read more
Prenatal exposure to lead—especially during the third trimester—may lead to significantly higher risk for major depressive disorder and anxiety symptoms in later adulthood, according to a new study led by Harvard Chan School.
On September 19, nearly 60 of our members and their teams came together at the Arnold Arboretum for our annual retreat. We began the day with an opening presentation from…
Fox 2 KTVI in St. Louis – A new study from Harvard is shedding light on a long-standing environmental health crisis in north St. Louis County. The research used decades-old data from a baby teeth study to assess cancer diagnoses among participants based on their childhood proximity to the contaminated waterway.
Living near Coldwater Creek—a Missouri River tributary north of St. Louis that was polluted by nuclear waste from the development of the first atomic bomb—in childhood in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s was associated with an elevated risk of cancer, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In the wake of the cancellation of federal grant funding for more than 130 researchers at Harvard Chan School, faculty, staff, and students are speaking out about the havoc enveloping the School.
The Harvard Six Cities Study had a profound impact on efforts to curb air pollution in the U.S. and is estimated to have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
At the Family Fun and Disability Awareness Fair, the Harvard Chan NIEHS Center and Region 1 PEHSU spoke with families about lead exposure and the services of the PEHSU, while helping children plant lettuce seeds in lead-free potting soil. In preparation for this event, we used a portable XRF to test seven types of of commonly used potting soil.
NIH-supported researchers developed virtual training for obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYNs) about the health risks of phthalate exposure during pregnancy. The training increased the number of OB/GYNs who discussed phthalate risk with their patients.
