Research in this specialty area focuses on understanding and addressing human or environmental health problems related to chemical and physical contaminants in environmental systems.

Active research topics focus on contaminant fate, transport and exposure assessment; development of innovative treatment systems; monitoring and detection of contaminants; and improving our understanding of natural environments. Applications being addressed include problems of air quality, drinking water safety, surface and groundwater quality, contaminants in soils and aquatic sediments, waste management, and environmentally-linked diseases.