About Us

About the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), is a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, based in Atlanta, Georgia with staff in 10 regional offices including the state of Georgia. ATSDR’s mission is to evaluate exposures to environmental contaminants to determine the effect on people’s health. ATSDR follows a standard process to prevent harmful exposures and promote healthy community environments, including:

• Assessing the available scientific data to determine whether or not people are at risk because of their exposures to harmful chemicals in the environment.
• Recommending that federal agencies and other stakeholders take action to prevent and stop exposures, for example by installing water filters or replacing soil in resident’s backyards. We continue to engage with these stakeholders to ensure that our recommendations are adopted.
• Collecting additional data or conducting health studies to better answer a community’s questions when needed.
• ATSDR’s work relies on a close relationship with local community members and stakeholders. Throughout the process, we talk with residents to better understand their concerns and to share information about chemicals in the environment, their exposures, and the steps they can take to protect themselves.

For more information about ATSDR, visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/.

About the Georgia Department of Public Health

The Georgia Department of Public Health is the lead agency in preventing disease, injury and disability; promoting health and well-being; and preparing for and responding to disasters from a health perspective. In 2011, the General Assembly restored DPH to its own state agency after more than 30 years of consolidation with other departments. At the state level, DPH functions through numerous divisions, sections, programs and offices. Locally, DPH funds and collaborates with Georgia's 159 county health departments and 18 public health districts. Through the changes, the mission has remained constant – to protect the lives of all Georgians. Today, DPH’s main functions include:

• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention,
• Maternal and Child Health,
• Infectious Disease and Immunization,
• Environmental Health,
• Epidemiology,
• Emergency Preparedness and Response,
• Emergency Medical Services,
• Pharmacy,
• Nursing,
• Volunteer Health Care,
• the Office of Health Equity,
• Vital Records, and
• the State Public Health Laboratory.

For more information about DPH, visit http://dph.georgia.gov/chemical-hazards.