The main areas of research in the environmental department are prospective birth cohorts (including the Odense Child Cohort) and the impact of early life exposures to environmental chemicals and their adverse effects on organ functions (e.g. the brain, immune, metabolic and reproductive system). Other areas include endocrine disruption, human biomonitoring, analytical chemistry, toxicology, and risk assessment.
The department has a long tradition in environmental chemicals or biomarkers as well as the development of analytical chemical methods to measure these. Currently, Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a main focus area both the adverse health effects of exposure, biomonitoring and advising national and international authorities and high exposed individuals.