The relationship between the environment and human health is a vast topic for research. The questions we have chosen to explore are important scientifically; they also reflect concerns of people living in our region. Center research is conducted in interdisciplinary teams, emphasizing three areas of Dartmouth expertise: molecular toxicology; epidemiology and children's health; and health-environment interactions. The scientific theme of Center research is linking molecular, cellular and population responses to environmental agents.

Some regional environmental health issues we investigate are of national concern. Arsenic, which occurs naturally in the bedrock underlying many regions of the United States, is found in drinking water in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. Studies done outside the United States have found that arsenic in drinking water may increase the risk of stroke and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The Center's Toxic Metals Research Program is investigating whether the arsenic in New Hampshire drinking water and other regions of the United States represents a similar risk. The group is also examining the role arsenic plays in the processes underlying the diseases associated with arsenic exposure.

Our Center's work on children's health also reflects a national concern. Scientists now recognize that children are not just "small adults." Because of differences in metabolism, development and behavior, children are particularly vulnerable to harmful chemicals in the environment. They are more likely to develop environmentally linked diseases such as asthma, and those diseases are more serious in children, whether they live in cities or in rural areas such as New Hampshire. Several Center research studies are studying how environmental factors affect the health of this most vulnerable group in our society.