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- The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) functions as both a scientific and regulatory agency of the United States. Research conducted under the EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides the basis for the formulation of environmental policies and programs. ORD's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, with its headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, plays a vital role in the scientific research mission at EPA.
The National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory is the Agency's focal point for scientific research on the effects of contaminants and environmental stressors on human health and ecosystem integrity. Its research mission and goals help the Agency to identify and understand the processes that affect our health and environment, and helps the Agency to evaluate the risks that pollution poses to humans and ecosystems. The impact of NHEERL's efforts can be felt far beyond the EPA, by enabling state and local governments to implement effective environmental programs, assisting industry in setting and achieving environmental goals, and collaborating with international governments and organizations on issues of environmental importance.
In addition to its own internal research focus, the Laboratory fosters cooperative research projects with academic and other scientific institutions which compliment the objectives of the EPA, while ensuring that the Agency receives the benefit of the highest quality peer-reviewed science. NHEERL conducts a multi disciplinary research program that strives to reduce the uncertainties inherent in assessing risk. These uncertainties vary in scope from fundamental scientific questions requiring sustained, long-term research strategies to Congressionally-mandated investigations that demand an immediate response. Accordingly, NHEERL balances long-term and short-term research objectives, combining elements of both basic and applied sciences to provide a unique blend of research capabilities.
Summary provided by http://www.epa.gov/NHEERL/about/
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