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 UC 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," says 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.