Discovering the biological details of how exposure to agrochemicals can affect human health is the focus of a new $4.5 million research and teaching center at the University of California, Davis. Funded through a four-and-a-half-year grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the center will coordinate and help support scientists studying ways to evaluate exposure to and the health impacts of agricultural chemicals. These include pesticides, fertilizers, food additives and drugs used to treat livestock, as well as chemicals associated with agricultural burning and other agricultural operations. "Much remains unknown about how agrochemicals can create changes in the human body. By coordinating expertise from different scientific fields we hope to provide valuable information for answering questions and solving problems associated with the use of these chemicals," said Fumio Matsumura, a professor of environmental toxicology and director of the new center. UC Davis has a growing national reputation in the field of environmental toxicology, with several programs focused on understanding the impact of industrial and agricultural chemicals on humans and the environment. The recognized standing of the faculty participating in the new center made it possible to obtain the federal grant, said Matsumura. The new Center for Health Effects of Agrochemicals involves the laboratories, staffs and students of 18 faculty members at UC Davis. Their experience crosses disciplines in several campus schools and colleges, including molecular biology, anatomy, occupational medicine, veterinary medicine, environmental toxicology, chemical engineering and reproductive biology. The administrative offices for the center will be located at the Institute of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Scientists involved with the center will use state-of-the-art technology to decipher how agrochemicals affect the physical structure and operations of cells and tissues. Increasing the understanding of these mechanisms will improve researchers' ability to measure injury caused by exposure as well as determine what levels of exposure can cause damage. In addition to its new grant, the center will receive support from the campus, which will fund research positions for center graduate students, renovation of facilities, equipment and the provision of space.