This program is responsible for providing independent research on the risks of chemicals, helping other offices within the agency set regulations for chemicals and compounds that could pose a danger to human health. The program confers with other offices within the EPA to identify top chemicals of concern that merit further research and study. Unlike other offices in the EPA, the IRIS program has no regulatory responsibilities; rather, it exists solely to provide science on which to base potential new regulations. The IRIS database is the “gold standard for health assessments for chemical pollutants,” says Burke. Some of the chemicals IRIS is working to research have been substances of concern for years, while some have more recently drawn new scrutiny.