IRAS, the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, was established in 2000 and is an interfacultary research institute within the faculties Veterinary Medicine, Medicine, Sciences of Utrecht University. Support is also provided by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in Bilthoven, and by TNO Quality of Life, Zeist.
The mission of IRAS is to provide education and research on the human health risks of exposure to potentially harmful agents in the environment, at the workplace and through the food chain. Effects on ecosystems are also considered.
The research takes places within three domains: Toxicology, Environmental Epidemiology and Veterinary Public Health.
IRAS is responsible for the research Master’s Programme and the PhD Programme Toxicology & Environmental Health of the Graduate School of Life Sciences