About PEHSU
The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) are a source of medical information and advice on environmental conditions that influence children’s health.
PEHSU are academically based, typically at university medical centers, and are located across the United States, Canada and Mexico. These PEHSU form a network that is capable of responding to requests for information throughout North America and offering advice on prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of environmentally-related health effects in children.
Because children’s environmental health covers a wide variety of issues, the PEHSU network has experts in pediatrics, allergy/immunology, neurodevelopment, toxicology, occupational and environmental medicine, nursing, and other specialized areas.
See printable information sheet "What is the PEHSU Program?" (March 2013)
The presentation, "PEHSU Program Overview December 2011", provides the PEHSU Program objective, mission and history. It also provides an overview of the PEHSU site structure, staffing and services provided.
What PEHSU Do
PEHSU work with health care professionals, parents, schools and community groups, and others to provide information on protecting children from environmental hazards. They also work with Federal, State, and local agencies to address children’s environmental health issues in homes, schools, and communities. The basic services of the PEHSU network are:
Community Education and Outreach
- Raising awareness about environmental conditions that may harm children
- Guidance on preventing or reducing harmful environmental exposures in everyday situations
- Providing practical advice on helping children cope and recover during and after floods, wildfires, chemical spills and other crises
Training Health Professionals
- Conducting seminars and conferences
- Publishing peer-reviewed articles that raise environmental health literacy
- Translating health care research into medical practice
- Providing on-line educational programs and case studies on environmental health issues
Consultation and Referral
- Evaluating suspected toxic exposures
- Identifying and interpreting appropriate diagnostic tests
- Medical management
- Referral to specialty care
PEHSU National Partnership
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry
4770 Buford Highway, NE
Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
Tel: (404) 498-0110 / Public Inquiries: (888) 422-8737
www.atsdr.cdc.gov
US Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Children’s Health Protection
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20004
(202) 564-2188
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/homepage.htm
This PEHSU website was funded (in part) by cooperative agreement award number 1U61TS000238-01 from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Acknowledgement: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the PEHSU by providing funds to ATSDR under Inter-Agency Agreement number DW-75-92301301-0. Neither EPA nor ATSDR endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in PEHSU publications.