HAB Research
This page provides information on multidisciplinary HABs research conducted by the EPA and other federal agencies. While the overall purpose of most research endeavors is understanding HABs and reducing their negative impacts on human and/or environmental health, its focus varies across agencies. As a result, this page provides links to the research assessing the impacts of HABs on aquatic life from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and human health from the Center for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. It also features interdisciplinary research carried by the EPA’s Office of Research and Development in both of these areas.
EPA HAB Research
HABs are a complex ecological problem with far reaching impacts on human, animal, and ecosystem health, tourism, and the economy. Furthermore, the increase in severity (i.e., frequency, intensity, duration, and geographic distribution) of HABs associated with human pressures, including climate change, call for research that can help eliminate or reduce their negative effects on human health and the environment. The EPA’s Office of Research scientists are exploring alternatives to effectively manage HABs through research on prevention, monitoring, forecasting, mitigation, control and treatment of HABs and the assessment of adverse human and aquatic health outcomes from exposure to HABs. To view current HAB research activities within the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, review past research and access resulting tools and models, and to sign up for research webinars, please visit:
Other Human Health Research
The US Centers for Disease Control Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Associated Illness program, including the One Health Harmful Algal Bloom System (OHHABS), contains a wide range of information relevant to human health and HABs including ongoing research, as well as publications, data and statistics.
The OHHABS system is a voluntary reporting system available to state and territorial public health departments and their environmental health or animal health partners.
OHHABS collects data on:
- Human illnesses caused by HABs
- Animal illnesses caused by HABs
- Environmental data about HABs
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), maintains a webpage on Algal Blooms as well, including detailed descriptions of previously funded and ongoing research.
Other HAB and Aquatic Life Research
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA)’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) fund a wide range of relevant HAB research. The breadth of that research, including the impacts of algal toxins on primarily (but not limited to) marine organisms, can be accessed at: