Products and Publications Related to Scientific Coordination
Scientific Collections
Background
EPA develops, maintains, and archives scientific collections to support the Agency's mission of protecting human health and the environment. EPA's scientific collections contribute to advancing the Agency mission by providing a source of scientific study for determining the presence, concentration, and trends of toxic chemicals in air, soil, water and entire ecosystems and their effects on human health and the environment. EPA currently has eight scientific collections.
For information about scientific collections owned and/or managed by US Federal Government Departments and Agencies please refer to US Federal Scientific Collections Registry. The Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections maintains a clearinghouse for federal agency documents related to scientific collections (e.g., agency policies, best practices, and standard operating procedures).
EPA defines a scientific collection as a set of living or inanimate physical objects, and as appropriate and feasible the associated specimen data and material, that is created for the purpose of supporting science, and is preserved, cataloged, and managed as a long-term research asset rather than for its market value as a collectible or its historical, artistic, or cultural significance. For a detailed description of the definition please refer to the EPA Scientific Collections Policy.
Policy
EPA's Scientific Collection Policy was created to improve the development, management, accessibility, legal and ethical use, and long-term preservation of scientific collections that the Agency owns, directly manages, or financially supports.