title: Considerations Before Establishing an Environmental Health Registry.
abstract: Public health registries can provide valuable information when health consequences of environmental exposures are uncertain or will likely take long to develop. They can also aid research on diseases that may have environmental causes that are not completely well defined. We discuss factors to consider when deciding whether to create an environmental health registry. Those factors include public health significance, purpose and outcomes, duration and scope of data collection and availability of alternative data sources, timeliness, availability of funding and administrative capabilities, and whether the establishment of a registry can adequately address specific health concerns. We also discuss difficulties, limitations, and benefits of exposure and disease registries, based on the experience of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Vinicius C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Antao
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Oleg I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Muravov
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sapp
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Theodore C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: L Laszlo
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Pallos
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Marchelle E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: G David
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: D Kevin
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Horton
mesh_terms: D002202:Capital Financing; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004782:Environmental Health / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016730:Program Development; D012042:Registries; D012107:Research Design