Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Identifying workplace and environmental exposures associated with cancer risk
The Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB) conducts studies in the United States and abroad to identify and evaluate environmental and workplace exposures that may be associated with cancer risk.
Research Mission
OEEB's mission is to combine epidemiology, quantitative exposure assessment, and molecular components into multi-disciplinary studies to provide insight into cancer etiology, chemical carcinogenesis, and mechanisms of action. Our main research areas include:
- Industrial and Occupational Exposures
- Environmental Exposures
- Exposure Assessment Methods
OEEB Editorials and Commentaries
Friesen MC and Beane Freeman LE. Identifying occupational risk factors for cancer in women: A need for further action
Beane Freeman LE. Pesticide Adjuvants and Inert Ingredients — A Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Buller I, Jones RR. Predicting incidence rates of rare cancers: Adding epidemiologic and spatial contexts
Koutros S. The need for, and challenges associated with, assessing occupational work histories for bladder and other occupational cancers
Jones RR. Exposure to artificial light at night and risk of cancer: Where do we go from here?
Silverman DT. Diesel exhaust and lung cancer – aftermath of becoming an IARC Group 1 Carcinogen
Read more about OEEB's research areas and activities.
Fellowships
Training opportunities for junior investigators include planning new projects, participating in ongoing investigations, and analyzing data from studies whose fieldwork is completed. Pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellows are mentored by senior investigators in the Branch. Meet our current OEEB fellows and find out about research training opportunities.
Collaborations
The breadth of OEEB's occupational and environmental risk factor research offers many possibilities for collaboration with investigators at other government agencies, domestic and international institutions, and academia, as well as training opportunities for young scientists. Collaborations are underway in over 30 states and Puerto Rico in the U.S., as well as over 30 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Mideast, and Australia.
Tools and Resources
Investigators in OEEB are also engaged in developing innovative tools and approaches for assessing carcinogenic risks from occupational and environmental exposures. Find out more about OEEB tools and resources.
Recent Publications by OEEB Researchers
- Ultrafine Particulate Matter Associated with Lung Cancer
- PFAS Levels and Kidney Cancer Risk in the Multiethnic Cohort Study
- High levels of particulate air pollution associated with increased breast cancer incidence
- The Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study (DEMS) II: Temporal factors related to diesel exhaust exposure and lung cancer mortality in the nested case–control study
- Diesel exhaust exposure and cause-specific mortality in the Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study II (DEMS II) cohort
- A nested case–control study of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and testicular germ cell tumors among U.S. Air Force servicemen
- Exposure-response observed for urine glyphosate concentrations, markers of oxidative stress
- Ethylene oxide emissions and incident breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a U.S. cohort
- Environmental pollutant, PFOA, associated with increased risk of kidney cancer
- Twelve lung adenocarcinoma risk variants identified for East Asian individuals
OEEB Staff News
- Jessica Madrigal and Other Fellows Receive AACR Scholar-in-Training Awards for Health Disparities Meeting
- Jonathan Hofmann Awarded Scientific Tenure by the NIH
- Batel Blechter Selected for Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship Award
- Lauren Hurwitz Receives 2022 Coleman Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award
- Alexander Keil Appointed Earl Stadtman Investigator
- Drs. Jongeun Rhee and Charles Breeze Receive 2022 Cancer Health Disparities Award