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Overview
Humans are exposed to a wide variety of chemical and physical agents throughout the course of their lives. These agents can have profound effects on human health including cancer. A growing number of chemical and physical agents have been classified as carcinogens by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer
and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ National Toxicology Program.
The complex nature of human exposures to chemical and physical agents presents a challenge to research in this field. This complexity can be attributed, in part, to the numerous mixtures in the environment, fluctuations in dose over time, and different routes of exposure. Gaps remain in our understanding of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis resulting from chemical and physical exposures, including the assessment and impact of exposures throughout biologically-relevant time periods and life stages. In addition, the health effects of exposures to the multitudes of chemical mixtures humans experience are poorly understood. Advancements in methodologies to investigate complex, dynamic exposures throughout human life are providing new opportunities to address these research gaps.
NCI’s Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program is committed to supporting the study of chemical and physical agents, their contribution and effects on cancer risk, and the advancement of methodological development to improve these efforts.
Funding Opportunities
NCI is currently sponsoring the following notices of funding opportunities for chemical and physical exposure research:
- NOSI: Climate Change and Health – expires May 8, 2025
EGRP joins with other NCI Divisions, Offices, and Centers and other Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund grant applications submitted in response to notices of funding opportunities. View the full list of cancer control research funding opportunities.
For investigators who want to add environmental exposures to their studies of human health, the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR) Program provides access to laboratory and data analysis services. NCI grantees interested in using these resources should visit https://hhearprogram.org/how-apply.
EGRP also encourages investigator-initiated grant applications on topics related to chemical and physical exposures.
- Exploratory Grants in Cancer Epidemiology (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) – expires October 9, 2024
- NCI Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (NCI Omnibus) (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) – expires January 8, 2026
Selected Projects
Examples of current and past collaborative projects related to chemical and physical exposures in which EGRP staff are involved:
Related Research Resources
- Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource
- National Toxicology Program Report on Carcinogens
- International Agency for Research on Cancer Monographs
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Carcinogen List
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration Carcinogens
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Cancer-Causing Substances in the Environment