Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Agency overview
Formed	December 31, 1980 (authorized) April 19, 1983 (created) June 11, 1985 (formally organized)
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30341[1] 33°52′44″N 84°17′32″W / 33.8788°N 84.2923°W / 33.8788; -84.2923
Employees	228 FTE (FY2022)[2]
Annual budget	US$78 million (FY2021)[2]
Agency executives	Mandy Cohen, Director, CDC and Administrator, ATSDR[3] Patrick N. Breysse, Director, NCEH/ATSDR[3] Christopher M. Reh, Associate Director, ATSDR[4]
Parent department	United States Department of Health and Human Services
Key documents	Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund); Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA)
Website	www.atsdr.cdc.gov

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a federal public health agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency focuses on minimizing human health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances. It works closely with other federal, state, and local agencies; tribal governments; local communities; and healthcare providers.^[5] Its mission is to "Serve the public through responsive public health actions to promote healthy and safe environments and prevent harmful exposures."^[6] ATSDR was created as an advisory, nonregulatory agency by the Superfund legislation and was formally organized in 1985.^[7]

Although ATSDR is an independent operating agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) performs many of its administrative functions.^[8] The CDC director also serves as the ATSDR administrator,^[9] and ATSDR has a joint Office of the Director with the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH).^[10] The ATSDR headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia, at the CDC Chamblee campus.^[1] In fiscal year 2010, ATSDR had an operating budget of $76.8 million and had roughly 300 full-time employees (not including contractors).^[11]

The ATSDR is formally and administratively overseen by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),^[3] currently Mandy Cohen since July 10, 2023^[12] Direction is provided by ATSDR's Director, currently Patrick N. Breysse,^[3] who ranks below the Administrator, and ATSDR's Associate Director, currently Christopher M. Reh.^[4]