The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is one of the Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIEHS is the primary institute within the NIH that deals with toxicology and environmental health issues. It is responsible for administering the Superfund Research Program through its peer-review grant process.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 to act as an autonomous federal regulatory body to oversee the enforcement of environmental policy. The EPA’s mission is to establish and enforce environmental protection standards, conduct research on the effects and control of pollution, strengthen environmental protection programs, advise on policy and assist in halting environmental pollution.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a federal public health agency responsible for determining whether exposure to hazardous substances from a waste site or environmental spill or release might cause harm to people. The agency was created by the Superfund law in 1980. The ATSDR, which is part of HHS, works with states and local health departments. ATSDR headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia, and it has 10 regional offices and an office in Washington, DC.