In 1980, the U.S. Congress created the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), based in Atlanta, Georgia, as a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The ATSDR protects communities from harmful health effects related to exposure to natural and man-made hazardous substances.

ATSDR’s headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. To fulfill our mission, they have a regional office within each of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 10 regional offices and at the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. ATSDR’s staff are prepared to respond 24/7 to environmental threats from natural disasters, chemical spills, and other emergencies.