In the late 1970s, workers who had been making the pesticide dibromochloropropane (DBCP) discovered that they were suffering from infertility. In response to this workplace exposure, the legislature, concerned that California lacked the knowledge and the trained professionals it needed to protect people from work-related hazards, passed legislation mandating the University to establish teaching, research, and service centers in Northern and Southern California.
In 1978, California created the Centers for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEHs) in Northern and Southern California. Northern California COEH is a University of California collaborative between UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, and UC Davis.
Center for Occupational and Environmental Health 