Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)

Research ServicesCalifornia, United States51-200 Employees

OEHHA is a mid-sized department within the California Environmental Protection Agency that focuses on assessing health risks posed by environmental contaminants. Its mandate includes implementing Proposition 65 and maintaining California's list of substances known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. The office also develops health-protective exposure levels for contaminants in air, water, and soil to guide regulatory decisions and public health guidance, including drinking-water goals and cancer potency factors as well as non-cancer reference exposure levels for air toxics. Based in Sacramento, OEHHA conducts a range of activities such as issuing fish advisories for mercury and other contaminants in sport fish and offering guidance on fishing safety and post-spill closures. Additionally, it collaborates with other state agencies on programs like Biomonitoring California, CalEnviroScreen, and the Environmental Protection Indicators for California to assess population exposure, environmental burdens, and climate-change indicators. OEHHA also provides scientific peer review of pesticide risk assessments, helps develop protections for pesticide workers, trains physicians to recognize pesticide-related illnesses, and partners with the Department of Food and Agriculture to relay health information on pesticide applications addressing invasive species.

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