Health and Environmental Risk Division

Health and Environmental Risk Division HP

Director

Director of Health and Environmental Risk Division
YAMAMOTO Hiroshi

Director's Greeting

Outline of Research

Contributing to the reduction of health and environmental risk to human health and ecosystems to assure environmental safety

We clarify the environmental risk for human health and ecosystems posed by environmental pollutants and other risk factors, through the cooperation of environmental risk field and environmental health field, to assure environmental safety. In addition, we conduct the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) in order to investigate environmental impacts on children’s health and development. JECS is lead by the JECS Programme Office situated under this research centre.

Environmental Risk Field
Establish Sciences to Support the Prevention of Environmental Risks and Contribute to the Achievement of a Safe Society
The research in this field includes enhancing ecological toxicity testing, developing a new ecological risk assessment system for chemicals, developing methods to determine environmental exposure and impact of chemicals, ascertaining exposure and impacts in the ecosystem through field work and laboratory experiments and developing control measures, systematization of risk management for chemicals and other substances, and environmental fate of those substances and exposure assessment, collaboratively with the Environmental Health Field on research related to human health. Their findings are being applied as risk assessment science.

Environmental Health Field
Contributing to Preventing Harmful Effects Caused by the Environment and Promoting Safe and Healthy Environment
Researchers are conducting animal studies, epidemiological research and exposure analyses to evaluate the effects of various environmental factors including chemicals substances on human health, especially that of future generations, and elucidate the mechanisms of these effects. The results of these research will be used to perform health risk-assessment research jointly with the Environmental Risk Field.

JECS Programme Office
https://www.nies.go.jp/risk_health/english/jecs-e.html

Research Staff

Research Staff - Health and Environmental Risk Division

Database / Tool

KATEKATE (KAshinhou^(*) Tool for Ecotoxicity) is an ecotoxicity prediction system that consists of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models. KATE is being developed with the aim of predicting acute and chronic toxicity to fish, daphnia, and algae.^(*)Chemical Substance Control Law in Japanese
HEALS Health Effects Alert SystemThe Health Effects Alert System (HEALS) is made up of four subsystems to support research for the evaluation of the health effects of chemicals - Chemical Toxicity and Gene Expression (ChemToxGen); Chemical Responsive Gene Database (ChemArrayDB); Profiles of Chemical Effects on Cells System (pCEC); and Multiprofiles of Chemical Effect on Health (MuICEH).
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A-TERAMThe impact of chemicals on the ecosystem has been measured in ecotoxicity studies using typical aquatic species of the three trophic levels, i.e., algae (phytoplankton), daphnia, and fish (e. g. medaka fish). A-TERAM aims to more accurately evaluate the effects on the ecosystem by incorporating ecological factors such as the life history of these species and the ecological interactions between species into the model.
Compendium of Reference Materials on the Basis for Establishment of Environmental Quality Standards in Japan (EQS Basis)The environmental quality standards (EQSs) are established and revised by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. This website compiles references regarding the establishment and revision of EQSs and related items.