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University Centers of Excellence
Hebrew University Center of Excellence in Agriculture
and Environmental Health
The Hebrew University Center of Excellence in Agriculture and Environmental Health was
established in 2012 as a collaboration between the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture,
Food and Environment and the Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, along
with colleagues from the Ministry of Health.
In Israel, where almost all arable land is currently intensively farmed and water resources are
being over-utilized, the risks of exposures and adverse health effects from agricultural activities
are high. Moreover, the risks are magnified because much of Israeli farming takes place in close
proximity to population centers. This enhances the direct and indirect effects of agriculture
on the surroundings municipalities. Israel is also unique and a pioneer in recycling wastewater
for agriculture use. In order to overcome the shortage of water, Israeli agriculture relies
heavily on reclaimed wastewater (i.e., treated effluents) as an important source of irrigation
water. The Center’s mandate is to explore the interface between modern agricultural activity,
environmental quality and human health through multidisciplinary research, dissemination
and outreach. The consortium of environmental scientists and public health researchers aims
to encourage multidisciplinary research activities, enhance public awareness, minimize the
effects of agricultural activities on the environment, and better understand the consequences
of agro-activities on human health.
The Center’s current projects include:
Xenobiotics originating from reclaimedwastewater: Uptake by crops and exposure assessment
Bioaccumulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals by dairy cows via consumption of crops
irrigated with reclaimed wastewater
Serum carbamazepine levels among healthy Israeli volunteers
Exposure of Israeli children to pesticides via food consumption
Exposure of pregnant women and their offspring to endocrine disrupting chemicals and
organophosphate pesticides and associations with fetal growth and development of
reproductive organs
Pesticide exposure and reproductive health outcomes in Palestinian and Israeli male residents
of Jerusalem
The Center’s activities benefit from the input of an international Scientific Advisory Committee
(SAC) comprising leading researchers in the fields of exposure science and environmental health:
Brenda Eskenazi, SAC Chair, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Shanna Swan, School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, USA
Baoshan Xing, Environmental & Soil Chemistry Program, University of Massachusetts,
Amherst, USA
Leslie Stayner, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
Yitzhak Hadar, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew
University of Jerusalem
Director
Benny Chefetz
Members
Orly Manor
Ora Paltiel
Zvi Roth
Ronit Calderon-Margalit
Tamar Berman
Hagai Levine
Coordinator
Yehoshua Maor