About Us

The Bioecological Center for Rural Children’s Health (BeRCH) is a forward thinking, translational science center focused on identifying and mitigating the cumulative health consequences of pathological synergies among chemical and non-chemical toxicants for children in rural agricultural areas.

BeRCH’s long-term goal is equal opportunity for good health and age-appropriate development for children in agricultural rural areas.

During this first foundational stage, BeRCH will:

• Document the cumulative impact of young children’s (ages 0-30 months) low-dose chronic exposure to multiple classes of pesticides (i.e., organophosphate, pyrethroid, and neonicotinoid) and other chemical exposures through airborne particles, groundwater, and surface residues along with intergenerational traumatic stressors on neurobehavioral development and related health outcomes
• Execute a novel cumulative impact assessment strategy informed by already available data sources and robustly complemented by new prospective environmental and biological measurements
• Create a participatory foundation for academic-community cooperation and interdisciplinary collaboration to support Aims 1 and 2 and advance environmental justice