On 26 October 1971, the Research Institute of Hygiene, Toxicology and Occupational Pathology was set up by the decision of the CC CPSU, the Council of Ministries of the USSR and in accordance with Order No. 119 of the Ministry of Health that took effect on 30 September 1971. As the specialized establishment of national caliber, the RIHTOP had three overall roles. The first was to provide medical and biological investigations into highly toxic chemicals for defense purposes. The second was to study work-related health effects in chemical weapons production environment. The third dealt with the prevention and medical response to occupational diseases.

The concept of comprehensive approach to both theoretical and practical issues of hygiene, toxicology and occupational pathology was taken as a starting point for organizational structure of the RIHTOP, which was embodied in its name.

Eugine Antonovich Snegirev, D.M. and professor, and appointed the first Director was the founder of the RIHTOP and responsible for its performance from 1971 to 1979. Peter Ermolayevich Schkodich, M.D. and professor, was a succeeding Director from 1979 to 2001. Since 2001, Boris Nikolaevich Filatov, M.D. and professor, is currently Director of the RIHTOP.

Eugine Antonoviuch SNEGIREV, M.D. and professor, and Boris Nikolaevich FILATOV, a future Director of the RIHTOP	Peter Ermolaevich SHKODICH, M.D. and professor	Boris Nikolaevich FILATOV, M.D., professor

The RIHTOP is active in carrying out researches together with foreign partners. Contracts with interested parties abroad have allowed making use of considerable resources required for developmental needs of the RIHTOP. In order to strengthen this promising direction and better coordinate international activity, a new entity - Department of International Projects - was set up in June 2002.

2 October 1990. The international workshop on "Chmicals Hazard Control"	9-16 September 1991. The 5-th International Training Session on Occupational Disease Prevention.	1995. International training courses on emergency situations

Systematic work on expanding international contacts that leads to gaining cooperation experience is going on. Topics of research interplay between the RIHTOP and foreign professional bodies, as well as a choice of the latter depend on a research potential of the RIHTOP, priorities for particular areas of work and a market for its intellectual products. Some specific joint studies are being conducted in the fields of medicine and ecology, with particular attention to the problems of counteraction to chemical and biological terrorism, safety of chemical agents and munitions demilitarization workers, as well as development and application of risk management systems for chemical mass affection scenarios.

In the light of the experience gained in medical surveillance and hygiene provision of CW agents production processes plus one that is presently available in disposing of them, the RIHTOP is competitive in the particular areas of interest (given below) with some other domestic partners:

• participation in competitions for collective and individual grants that are offered by international and national public funds of leading western countries, which is run by the ISTC and CRDF;
• making contracts for carrying out scientific and research works selected by both parties as deserving high priority, and applied projects to be supported by foreign customers alone;
• advancing the competitive technologies being the performance of the RIHTOP to outside market of scientific production; advertising the RIHTOP unique capabilities, in order to occupy and retain beneficial niches (exchange of information and debate among scientific community through the organization of seminars, symposia or conferences, including the publishing of proceedings in a separate series; participation in international forums and exhibitions, as well as membership of the RIHTOP experts in international working groups).

Successful fulfillment of a number of international projects has allowed the RIHTOP to get a sure entrance into the Internet through a dedicated line, which opens a free access to international information resources and provides quick communication with foreign partners. The implementation of this project has provided a base for further application of up-to-date information technologies, including the most progressive one as a video conference translation. An on-line communication and video translation room that is well-equipped with appropriate hardware is now available and in use.

The fellows of the RIHTOP receive delegations from different countries and attend international symposia and conferences. Over the time of 2002-2008, they visited a number of countries, such as USA, Croatia, Sweden, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, Norway, Belgium, Finland, Italy, China, Switzerland.