Center for Environmental Health Sciences at MIT

The environmental health sciences include those parts of established disciplines which are, or should be, focused on discovering which ordinary interactions between humans and chemicals, biologicals, or radiation, are in fact harmful to health.

It is the basic tenet of our field that given accurate knowledge of the nature and extent of harm associated with exposures to identified substances, individuals may make informed choices for themselves and societies may make choices for the health of the general public, particularly the young.

The faculty, students and research staff of MIT's Center for Environmental Health Sciences are focused on discovery of the agents in our environment responsible for genetic changes in humans. Our focus is based on our perception of public health needs. Genetic disease causing severe physical or mental impairment of our newborns approaches 2%, and fills nearly half of the beds in our pediatric hospitals. Human cancers require several genetic changes (mutations) inherited or occurring within the organ from which the tumor arises. It seems very probable that atherosclerosis - a colonization of arterial walls with descendants of a single aberrant ancestor - requires specific mutations.

1995 Annual Report

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