Abstract
The Personalized Environment and Genes Study (PEGS) is a unique resource comprising genetic and environmental exposure data linked to geospatial data. The PEGS cohort contains 19,445 demographically diverse participants who provided phenotype and exposure data by completing three surveys. Whole-genome sequencing was performed for a subset of 4,737 participants to interrogate common and rare variants and structural variations, including high-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) variants. Geographic coordinates were assigned to participant addresses, enabling the use of distance to contaminant sources and area-level air-pollutant concentrations as surrogates for exposure. Several available tools are available to explore these data and results of exposome-wide association studies (ExWAS) conducted in the data. The i2b2 Query and Analysis Tool enables approved users to build customizable queries for exploring basic statistics from de-identified and aggregated PEGS data. PEGS Explorer allows users to explore published ExWAS results and rigorously calculated exposure correlations. Globe visualizations in this tool reflect the complex mixtures involved in the exposome and allow users to visualize correlations between exposures and common, complex diseases.
Data availability
PEGS Data Freeze 3.1 is deposited in a controlled-access data repository hosted by the NIEHS. The repository supports secure, independent download and local analysis of approved data by authorized users.
The deposited datasets include de-identified survey data, derived exposure and geospatial metrics, whole-genome sequencing variant files, DNA methylation beta values, polygenic scores, and associated metadata and documentation. Direct identifiers, protected health information, and precise residential address data are not included in shared datasets.
Access to PEGS data is available to qualified academic, governmental, and commercial researchers through an application process. Applications are reviewed by the PEGS Executive Leadership Committee using predefined criteria, including scientific validity, consistency with participant consent and NIH IRB approvals, and the applicant’s ability to comply with data security requirements. Approval does not require collaboration with PEGS investigators, and approved users may analyze the data independently.
Data access is granted following execution of a Data Use Agreement that specifies permitted uses, data protection requirements, and reporting obligations. Information on the application process and a public copy of the PEGS Data Use Agreement are available at: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/atniehs/labs/crb/studies/pegs/collaboration/guidelines.
Code availability
Standard open-source packages were used to generate the PEGS data as described in the Methods section. The code pipelines for data generation are available at https://github.com/fsakhtari/PEGS_common/blob/master/pegs_common_utils.R.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the PEGS participants for their contributions to this work. We would also like to thank the Office of Communications and Public Liaison at NIEHS for their support in creating and maintaining the PEGS website and Donna Jeanne Corcoran for crafting the exceptionally elegant graphics for the PEGS website and this manuscript. We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to Sharon Soucek in the Office of Technology Transfer at NIEHS for support and expertise regarding the data use agreements that enable collaborative research projects with PEGS. We would also like to thank Hannah Collins Cakar for assistance with manuscript preparation.
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A.A.M.-R., J.E.H., C.P.S., D.C.F., F.S.A. and S.H.S. conceived the study design. A.B., D.C.F., J.E.H. and F.S.A. developed the methodology used in the study. A.B., F.S.A., C.P.S. and J.E.H. were responsible for the software used. A.B., F.S.A., and J.M. coordinated validation of the study data. A.B., F.S.A., J.M. and J.S.H. conducted formal analysis. D.D., F.S.A., N.M., S.S., D.J.S., S.K.M., R.R., Z.X., J.M. and J.E.H. were responsible for data curation. F.S.A. was responsible for visualization. A.A.M.-R., J.E.H., C.P.S. and D.C.F. were responsible for project administration. A.A.M.-R. and J.E.H. coordinated funding acquisition. D.J.S. and S.K.M. conducted PRS analyses. F.S.A. and A.A.M.-R. wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. All authors read, edited, and approved the final manuscript.
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Akhtari, F.S., Madenspacher, J., D’Agostin, D. et al. Personalized Environment and Genes Study (PEGS) Dataset-a resource for genomic, exposomic, and geospatial data. Sci Data (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07011-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07011-x
