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Journal Description

International journal of environmental research and public health.

• Open Access — free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
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• Journal Rank:  CiteScore - Q1 (Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health)
• Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 24.3 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 3.3 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2024).
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Human health and the environment

Human health and the environment are inextricably linked at local, national and global scales. Exposure to environmental issues, such as pollution, climate change, extreme heat events and poor water quality, can negatively impact human health and wellbeing. Different populations and groups differ in their vulnerability to environmental degradation, climate change and extreme heat events, often as a result of age demographics and socio-economic inequalities that affect resilience.

In this Collection, we present articles that explore emerging threats to health and wellbeing posed by the environment, health benefits the environment can provide, and policies that can help improve air, water and soil quality, limit pollution and mitigate against extreme events. We welcome submissions of complementary studies and opinion pieces that can help broaden the discussion and further our understanding of the links between human health and the environment.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being.

Niheer Dasandi, PhD

University of Birmingham, UK

Kerstin Schepanski, PhD

Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Fiona Tang, PhD

University of New England, Australia

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Reviews & Opinion

Where dirty air is most dangerous

Exposure to poor air quality can damage human health and incur associated costs. The severity of these impacts is not uniform around the globe, but depends on the health and density of the populations.

• Kerstin Schepanski

Climate Change

The diurnal variation of wet bulb temperatures and exceedance of physiological thresholds relevant to human health in South Asia

Human physiological thresholds for uncompensable heat stress were exceeded for more than 300 hours in South Asia between 1995 and 2020, including in the evenings, according to an analysis of the diurnal variability of wet and dry bulb temperatures in station data.

• Jenix Justine
• Joy Merwin Monteiro

Spatio-temporal dynamics of three diseases caused by Aedes -borne arboviruses in Mexico

Dong et al. analyse Aedes -borne diseases (ABDs) presence, local climate, and socio-demographic factors of 2,469 municipalities in Mexico, and apply machine learning to predict areas most at risk of ABDs clusters. Dengue was most prevalent, and socio-demographic and climatic factors influenced ABDs occurrence in different regions of Mexico.

• Latifur Khan
• Ubydul Haque

Probabilistic projections of increased heat stress driven by climate change

Exposure to dangerous heat index levels will likely increase by 50-100% in the tropics and by a factor of 3-10 in the mid-latitudes by 2100, even if the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 2°C is met, according to probabilistic projections of global warming.

• Lucas R. Vargas Zeppetello
• Adrian E. Raftery
• David S. Battisti

Malaria elimination on Hainan Island despite climate change

Tian et al. use mathematical modelling to estimate the impact of various interventions on malaria incidence on Hainan Island, also taking into account climate change. They find that although malaria transmission has been exacerbated by climate change, insecticide-treated bed nets and other interventions were effective in controlling the disease.

• Huaiyu Tian
• Christopher Dye

Deforestation and climate change are projected to increase heat stress risk in the Brazilian Amazon

Complete savannization of the Amazon Basin would enhance the effects of climate change on local heat exposure and pose a risk to human health, according to climate model projections.

• Beatriz Fátima Alves de Oliveira
• Marcus J. Bottino
• Carlos A. Nobre

Protecting Brazilian Amazon Indigenous territories reduces atmospheric particulates and avoids associated health impacts and costs

More than 15 million cases of respiratory and cardiovascular infections could be prevented, saving $2 billion USD each year in human health costs by protecting indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon, suggest estimates of PM2.5 health impacts between 2010 and 2019.

• Paula R. Prist
• Florencia Sangermano
• Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio

Heavy metal concentrations in rice that meet safety standards can still pose a risk to human health

National safety standard for concentrations of arsenic and cadmium in commercial rice in China are sufficiently high to pose non-negligible health risks especially for chronically exposed children, according to a regionally resolved probability and fuzzy analysis for China.

• Wenfeng Tan

Current wastewater treatment targets are insufficient to protect surface water quality

SDG 6.3 targets to half the proportion of untreated wastewater discharged to the environment by 2030 will substantially improve water quality globally, but a high-resolution surface water quality model suggests key thresholds will still not be met in regions with limited existing wastewater treatment.

• Edward R. Jones
• Marc F. P. Bierkens
• Michelle T. H. van Vliet

Severe atmospheric pollution in the Middle East is attributable to anthropogenic sources

Fine particulate aerosols sampled around the Arabian Peninsula predominantly originate from anthropogenic pollution and constitute one of the leading health risk factors in the region, according to shipborne sampling and numerical atmospheric chemistry modelling.

• Sergey Osipov
• Sourangsu Chowdhury
• Jos Lelieveld

Protecting playgrounds: local-scale reduction of airborne particulate matter concentrations through particulate deposition on roadside ‘tredges’ (green infrastructure)

• Barbara A. Maher
• Tomasz Gonet
• Thomas J. Bannan

Accumulation of trace element content in the lungs of Sao Paulo city residents and its correlation to lifetime exposure to air pollution

• Nathália Villa dos Santos
• Carolina Leticia Zilli Vieira
• Petros Koutrakis

Environmental and health impacts of atmospheric CO 2 removal by enhanced rock weathering depend on nations’ energy mix

Enhanced rock weathering is competitive with other carbon sequestration strategies in terms of land, energy and water use with its overall sustainability dependent on that of the energy system supplying it, according to a process-based life cycle assessment.

• Rafael M. Eufrasio
• Euripides P. Kantzas
• David J. Beerling

Adverse health and environmental outcomes of cycling in heavily polluted urban environments

• Ewa Adamiec
• Elżbieta Jarosz-Krzemińska
• Aleksandra Bilkiewicz-Kubarek

Related reading

Moist heatwaves intensified by entrainment of dry air that limits deep convection

Climate model simulations and reanalysis data suggest that inhibition of atmospheric convection by dry air intensifies moist heatwaves, and this process may further increase moist heatwaves under climate warming.

• Suqin Q. Duan
• J. David Neelin

Nuclear power generation phase-outs redistribute US air quality and climate-related mortality risk

How a nuclear power phase-out may affect air pollution, climate and health in the future is up for debate. Here the authors assess impacts of a nuclear phase-out in the United States on ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ).

• Lyssa M. Freese
• Guillaume P. Chossière
• Noelle E. Selin

U.S. West Coast droughts and heat waves exacerbate pollution inequality and can evade emission control policies

Heat waves and droughts increase air pollution from power plants in California, which disproportionately damages counties with a majority of people of color. Droughts cause chronic increases in pollution damages. Heat waves are responsible for the days with the highest damages.

• Amir Zeighami
• Jordan Kern
• August A. Bruno

Effect of air pollution on the human immune system

Inhaled particulates from environmental pollutants accumulate in macrophages in lung-associated lymph nodes over years, compromising immune surveillance via direct effects on immune cell function and lymphoid architecture. These findings reveal the importance of improved air quality to preserve immune health against current and emerging pathogens.

Socio-demographic factors shaping the future global health burden from air pollution

Millions of premature deaths each year can be attributed to ambient particulate air pollution. While exposure to harmful particulates decreases in future scenarios with reduced fossil fuel combustion, across much of the globe, socio-demographic factors dominate health outcomes related to air pollution.

• Xinyuan Huang

Over half of known human pathogenic diseases can be aggravated by climate change

A systematic review shows that >58% of infectious diseases confronted by humanity, via 1,006 unique pathways, have at some point been affected by climatic hazards sensitive to GHGs. These results highlight the mounting challenge for adaption and the urgent need to reduce GHG emissions.

• Camilo Mora
• Tristan McKenzie
• Erik C. Franklin

Dietary shifts can reduce premature deaths related to particulate matter pollution in China

Population growth and dietary changes affect ammonia emissions from agriculture and the concentration of particulate matter in the atmosphere. This study quantifies the adverse health impacts associated with these processes in China using a mechanistic model of particulate matter formation and transport. It also compares them with direct health impacts of changing diets upon premature death from food-related diseases.

• Xueying Liu
• Amos P. K. Tai
• Hon-Ming Lam

Health co-benefits of climate change mitigation depend on strategic power plant retirements and pollution controls

Climate mitigation policies often provide health co-benefits. Analysis of individual power plants under future climate–energy policy scenarios shows reducing air pollution-related deaths does not automatically align with emission reduction policies and that policy design needs to consider public health.

• Guannan Geng
• Steven J. Davis

The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change

Current and future climate change is expected to impact human health, both indirectly and directly, through increasing temperatures. Climate change has already had an impact and is responsible for 37% of warm-season heat-related deaths between 1991 and 2018, with increases in mortality observed globally.

• A. M. Vicedo-Cabrera
• N. Scovronick
• A. Gasparrini

Anthropogenic emissions and urbanization increase risk of compound hot extremes in cities

Heat extremes threaten the health of urban residents with particularly strong impacts from day–night sustained heat. Observation and simulation data across eastern China show increasing risks of compound events attributed to anthropogenic emissions and urbanization.

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Environmental Health

Author instructions.

Before submitting your manuscript with us, please carefully consider our  submission guidelines .

Note that the journal only publishes content that covers areas of environmental science in which human health and well-being are involved and won’t consider other aspects of environmental sciences. 

Editors' Choice

As the world turns: scientific publishing in the digital era.

A quarter of the way into the 21st Century the technology of encoding and transmitting information in digital form is in full flower. Today the speed of advance in digital technology is breathtaking. Digital devices like the smartphone have moved from expensive prototypes to ubiquitous and essential appliances in a little over a decade. Digital technology has also substantially affected scientific publishing.

Author: David Ozonoff Content type: Editorial Published on: 26 February 2024

A call from 40 public health scientists for an end to the continuing humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in Gaza

An under-recognised aspect of the current humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is the impact of the war on the environment and the associated risks for human health. This commentary contextualises these impacts against the background of human suffering produced by the overwhelming violence associated with the use of military force against the general population of Gaza.

Authors:  Leslie London  et al. Content type: Comment Published on: 28 June 2024

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• Most accessed

Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites and their association with oxidative stress among pregnant women in Los Angeles

Authors: Qi Meng, Sanjali Mitra, Irish Del Rosario, Michael Jerrett, Carla Janzen, Sherin U. Devaskar and Beate Ritz

Long-term ambient air pollution exposure and renal function and biomarkers of renal disease

Authors: Karl Kilbo Edlund, Yiyi Xu, Eva M. Andersson, Anders Christensson, Mats Dehlin, Helena Forsblad-d’Elia, Florencia Harari, Stefan Ljunggren, Peter Molnár, Anna Oudin, Magnus Svartengren, Petter Ljungman and Leo Stockfelt

Fluoride-related changes in the fetal cord blood proteome; a pilot study

Authors: Sami T. Tuomivaara, Susan J. Fisher, Steven C. Hall, Dana E. Goin, Aras N. Mattis and Pamela K. Den Besten

Association between organophosphorus pesticides and obesity among American adults

Authors: Wei Xu, Yinqiao Dong, Shiping Liu, Fan Hu and Yong Cai

Association between brominated flame retardants (PBDEs and PBB153) exposure and hypertension in U.S. adults: results from NHANES 2005–2016

Authors: Dian Cheng, Zijun Chen, Jian Zhou, Yue Cao, Xin Xie, Yizhang Wu, Xiaorong Li, Xuecheng Wang, Jinbo Yu and Bing Yang

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The global environmental injustice of fast fashion

Authors: Rachel Bick, Erika Halsey and Christine C. Ekenga

The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review

Authors: Edward Broughton

Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar

Authors: Renee Dufault, Blaise LeBlanc, Roseanne Schnoll, Charles Cornett, Laura Schweitzer, David Wallinga, Jane Hightower, Lyn Patrick and Walter J Lukiw

Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review

Authors: Axel Mie, Helle Raun Andersen, Stefan Gunnarsson, Johannes Kahl, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Ewa Rembiałkowska, Gianluca Quaglio and Philippe Grandjean

Aspartame and cancer – new evidence for causation

Authors: Philip J. Landrigan and Kurt Straif

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Editors-in-Chief

Philippe Grandjean, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Ruth Etzel, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, USA

Aims and scope

Environmental Health publishes manuscripts on important aspects of environmental and occupational medicine and related studies in toxicology and epidemiology that elucidate the human health implications of exposures to environmental hazards. Environmental Health articles are published with open access, and the journal operates a single-blind peer-review system. The journal is aimed at scientists and practitioners in all areas of environmental science in which human health and well-being are involved, either directly or indirectly, and with a view to improving the prevention of environmentally-related risks to human health. Environmental Health is a public health journal serving the public health community and scientists working on matters of public health interest and importance pertaining to the environment. Before submitting a manuscript, please see our submission guidelines for author guidance. 

Announcing the launch of In Review

Environmental Health , in partnership with Research Square, is now offering  In Review.  Authors choosing this free optional service will be able to:

• Share their work with fellow researchers to read, comment on, and cite even before publication
• Showcase their work to funders and others with a citable DOI while it is still under review
• Track their manuscript - including seeing when reviewers are invited, and when reports are received 

Read more  about the full range of benefits of In Review and how to opt in, or see the In Review platform for yourself  here .

Peer Review policy

Environmental Health operates a single-blind peer-review system, where the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. For more information, see our peer-review policy .  

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Citation Impact 2023 Journal Impact Factor: 5.3 5-year Journal Impact Factor: 6.7 Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP): 1.348 SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): 1.228

Speed 2023 Submission to first editorial decision (median days): 3 Submission to acceptance (median days): 119

Usage 2023 Downloads: 2,144,579 Altmetric mentions: 5,304

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ISSN: 1476-069X

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What is environmental health?

Examining a massive influence on our health: the environment..

We've been reporting on environmental health for 20 years. But what is environmental health? You've got questions, and we have answers.

Environmental health is a branch of public health that monitors the relationship between human health and the environment, examining aspects of both our natural and human-made environment and their effect on human wellbeing.

What is an example of environmental health?

Living near factories or heavy traffic worsens air quality and leads to health impacts on the lungs and heart.

Credit: Kouji Tsuru / Unsplash

Environmental health is a broad area of study — everything from the climate to the food we eat to the air we breathe plays into environmental health. A few specific examples include:

• Air pollution: Living near factories or heavy traffic worsens air quality and leads to health impacts on the lungs and heart such as asthma and increased risk of heart attacks or stroke.
• Water contamination: Drinking lead-contaminated water can cause IQ loss, behavioral issues, learning disabilities and more. Infants and young children are most at risk.
• Toxic chemicals in consumer products: Phthalates, a class of chemicals that are widely used in consumer products, are known endocrine-disruptors, meaning they hijack your body’s hormones and can cause a wide array of health impacts including increased risk of cancer and fertility issues.

What is the role of environmental health?

The role of environmental health research is to examine areas of the environment that impact our health so that we can make personal and policy changes to keep ourselves safe and improve human health and wellbeing.

Why is environmental health important?

Credit: Viki Mohamad / Unsplash

Environmental health impacts every one of us.

We reap the benefits of clean air, clean water, and healthy soil. If our environment is unhealthy, with toxic chemicals saturating our resources and pollution abundant, then our health also suffers.

It is also an important field of study because it looks at the “unseen” influences on your health.

Many individuals may not associate their health problems with air or water quality, or with what clothes they wear, makeup and household goods they use, or food they eat.

That’s because not every example of environmental health problems are obvious: some chemicals, for example, build up slowly over time in your body: a small dose may not seem to bring harm, but repeated small doses can lead to later impacts.

• BPA absorbed through plastic containers, cans, receipts, etc. lingers in the body and the build-up over time increases risk of cancer, diabetes, liver failure, and more.
• PFAS are known as ‘forever chemicals ’— they don’t break down and are widely used, so small exposures are frequent and contribute to immune system and reproductive damages, heightened cholesterol levels, and more.
• Mercury from eating seafood and shellfish can impact neurological development of fetuses in the womb, and populations that regularly consume mercury-heavy seafood have shown mild cognitive impairment.

Also, individual susceptibility can differ: for example, one member of a household can experience illness, asthma, migraines, etc. from chemicals found in their water supply while another member of the same household is just fine, such as the case in a young girl’s reaction to benzene in her water from living near fracking wells.

Certain variables play a role in susceptibility and level of adverse health effects such as age, gender, pregnancy, and underlying health conditions. Studies suggest fetuses, infants and children are much more at risk to experience lifelong health problems from toxic chemical exposure.

Rate, duration, and frequency of exposure to toxic chemicals and other influences from our environment all factor into our health.

Good environmental health = good human health.

What environmental health problems affect our health?

Two women extracting from a well in Senegal.

Credit: JordiRamisa

There are many environmental health issues that affect human health. These include:

Air pollution — nine out of 10 people currently breathe air that exceeds the World Health Organization’s guideline limits for air pollution worldwide. This mainly affects people in low and middle-income countries, but in the United States, people that live in cities, or near refineries or factories, are often affected as well.

Air pollution also ramps up during wildfire season.

Read more: Breathless: Pittsburgh's asthma epidemic and the fight to stop it

Water pollution — as of 2014, every year more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war. Water is the ‘universal solvent’, meaning it can dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. Thus, it is too easy for toxic chemicals to enter our water supply.

Read more: Sacred Water: Environmental justice in Indian Country

Lack of access to health care — yes, this is an environmental health issue! Having an accessible health care system is part of one’s environment. Difficulty getting health care can further impact one’s health.

Poor infrastructure — from “food deserts” to lack of transportation services, living in an area with poor infrastructure can impact your health.

Read more: Agents of Change: Amplifying neglected voices in environmental justice

Climate change — climate change-induced heat waves, increased frequency and severity of large storms, droughts, flooding, etc. have resulted in health problems and even death.

Chemical pollution — chemical pollution can be sneaky: the chemicals in your everyday products, from shampoo to deodorant to your clothing to the food you eat, can directly affect your health. These chemicals are often not on the label or regulated at all.

Read more: Exposed: How willful blindness keeps BPA on shelves and contaminating our bodies

How can we improve our environmental health?

Credit: instaphotos

Educate yourself. Environmental health is a broad topic, so this can seem overwhelming. Start by taking stock of your own personal environment. Look up air pollution monitoring in your area. Get your water tested to see its chemical makeup. Evaluate the products you use in your life — personal products like shampoo and deodorant, household cleaners, air fresheners, the foods that you eat — and see what you’re bringing into your home.

Explore the Environmental Working Group's guides to check your products for toxic chemicals.

We have additional guides to help you learn more about environmental health. Find guides to plastic pollution , environmental justice , glyphosate , BPA , PFAS and more in the Resources tab at the top of our website.

As individuals we have the power to improve some of our environmental health, but there is a pressing need for systemic change and regulation on a policy level.

We’re actively working with scientists to share their research and knowledge with politicians to advocate for science-backed policy change. But we need your help. Contact your representatives to let them know that environmental health is important to you — whether it’s air pollution in your area, contaminated water, plastic pollution, food deserts in your area, or chemicals in consumer products.

Subscribe to Above the Fold , our daily newsletter keeping you up-to-date on environmental health news.

• Op-Ed: Building a culture of health in the era of climate change - EHN ›
• Pollution and our mental health - EHN ›
• Agents of Change: Amplifying neglected voices in environmental ... ›
• Environmental toll of plastics - EHN ›
• Environmental Health News ›
• Amplifying neglected voices in environmental health - EHN ›
• Air pollution exposure during pregnancy linked to reduced lung function in kids: Study - EHN ›
• Are microplastics invading the male reproductive system? - EHN ›
• Meet the teenager upending food and nutrition research - EHN ›
• WATCH: You have questions about plastics, we have answers - EHN ›

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Drinking Water Quality and Human Health: An Editorial

Patrick levallois.

1 Direction de la santé environnementale et de la toxicologie, Institut national de la santé publique du Québec, QC G1V 5B3, Canada

2 Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada

Cristina M. Villanueva

3 ISGlobal, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected]

4 Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08002 Barcelona, Spain

5 Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Carlos III Institute of Health, 28029 Madrid, Spain

6 IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Drinking water quality is paramount for public health. Despite improvements in recent decades, access to good quality drinking water remains a critical issue. The World Health Organization estimates that almost 10% of the population in the world do not have access to improved drinking water sources [ 1 ], and one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure universal access to water and sanitation by 2030 [ 2 ]. Among other diseases, waterborne infections cause diarrhea, which kills nearly one million people every year. Most are children under the age of five [ 1 ]. At the same time, chemical pollution is an ongoing concern, particularly in industrialized countries and increasingly in low and medium income countries (LMICs). Exposure to chemicals in drinking water may lead to a range of chronic diseases (e.g., cancer and cardiovascular disease), adverse reproductive outcomes and effects on children’s health (e.g., neurodevelopment), among other health effects [ 3 ].

Although drinking water quality is regulated and monitored in many countries, increasing knowledge leads to the need for reviewing standards and guidelines on a nearly permanent basis, both for regulated and newly identified contaminants. Drinking water standards are mostly based on animal toxicity data, and more robust epidemiologic studies with an accurate exposure assessment are rare. The current risk assessment paradigm dealing mostly with one-by-one chemicals dismisses potential synergisms or interactions from exposures to mixtures of contaminants, particularly at the low-exposure range. Thus, evidence is needed on exposure and health effects of mixtures of contaminants in drinking water [ 4 ].

In a special issue on “Drinking Water Quality and Human Health” IJERPH [ 5 ], 20 papers were recently published on different topics related to drinking water. Eight papers were on microbiological contamination, 11 papers on chemical contamination, and one on radioactivity. Five of the eight papers were on microbiology and the one on radioactivity concerned developing countries, but none on chemical quality. In fact, all the papers on chemical contamination were from industrialized countries, illustrating that microbial quality is still the priority in LMICs. However, chemical pollution from a diversity of sources may also affect these settings and research will be necessary in the future.

Concerning microbiological contamination, one paper deals with the quality of well water in Maryland, USA [ 6 ], and it confirms the frequent contamination by fecal indicators and recommends continuous monitoring of such unregulated water. Another paper did a review of Vibrio pathogens, which are an ongoing concern in rural sub-Saharan Africa [ 7 ]. Two papers focus on the importance of global primary prevention. One investigated the effectiveness of Water Safety Plans (WSP) implemented in 12 countries of the Asia-Pacific region [ 8 ]. The other evaluated the lack of intervention to improve Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Nigerian communities and its effect on the frequency of common childhood diseases (mainly diarrhea) in children [ 9 ]. The efficacies of two types of intervention were also presented. One was a cost-effective household treatment in a village in South Africa [ 10 ], the other a community intervention in mid-western Nepal [ 11 ]. Finally, two epidemiological studies were conducted in industrialized countries. A time-series study evaluated the association between general indicators of drinking water quality (mainly turbidity) and the occurrence of gastroenteritis in 17 urban sites in the USA and Europe. [ 12 ] The other evaluated the performance of an algorithm to predict the occurrence of waterborne disease outbreaks in France [ 13 ].

On the eleven papers on chemical contamination, three focused on the descriptive characteristics of the contamination: one on nitrite seasonality in Finland [ 14 ], the second on geogenic cation (Na, K, Mg, and Ca) stability in Denmark [ 15 ] and the third on historical variation of THM concentrations in french water networks [ 16 ]. Another paper focused on fluoride exposure assessments using biomonitoring data in the Canadian population [ 17 ]. The other papers targeted the health effects associated with drinking water contamination. An extensive up-to-date review was provided regarding the health effects of nitrate [ 18 ]. A more limited review was on heterogeneity in studies on cancer and disinfection by-products [ 19 ]. A thorough epidemiological study on adverse birth outcomes and atrazine exposure in Ohio found a small link with lower birth weight [ 20 ]. Another more geographical study, found a link between some characteristics of drinking water in Taiwan and chronic kidney diseases [ 21 ]. Finally, the other papers discuss the methods of deriving drinking water standards. One focuses on manganese in Quebec, Canada [ 22 ], another on the screening values for pharmaceuticals in drinking water, in Minnesota, USA [ 23 ]. The latter developed the methodology used in Minnesota to derive guidelines—taking the enhanced exposure of young babies to water chemicals into particular consideration [ 24 ]. Finally, the paper on radioactivity presented a description of Polonium 210 water contamination in Malaysia [ 25 ].

In conclusion, despite several constraints (e.g., time schedule, fees, etc.), co-editors were satisfied to gather 20 papers by worldwide teams on such important topics. Our small experience demonstrates the variety and importance of microbiological and chemical contamination of drinking water and their possible health effects.

Acknowledgments

Authors want to acknowledge the important work of the IJERPH staff and of numbers of anonymous reviewers.

Author Contributions

P.L. wrote a first draft of the editorial and approved the final version. C.M.V. did a critical review and added important complementary information to finalize this editorial.

This editorial work received no special funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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What is Environmental Health and What Critical Issues Impact Our Health?

What is environmental health, areas of environmental health, global environmental health, how you can help protect and improve environmental health.

Water quality, safe housing, healthy food access, and pollution -free transportation all contribute to human health, along with many other factors. Where people live and how they're connecting to the world can affect their health. The environmental health field—with its professionals, policies, and programs—is focused on these factors.

Your health is determined by personal choices (like whether you exercise or get vaccinated ) but also factors like local industry, the age of your home, food deserts , green space in your community, and more. Environmental stressors and advantages help to shape your options.

This article explains what environmental health is and how it can affect you and your community. It describes the work done by professionals and what you can do, too, to improve environmental health.

Environmental health is the  public health  field that monitors and addresses physical, chemical, and biological factors that impact your health though they're not always within your direct control.

Simply put, environmental health is the area of public health that deals with all the different ways the world can impact physical and mental well-being. Examples of impacts include:

• Lead toxicity (poisoning) from the paint or water pipes in older homes and neighborhoods
• Obesity and type 2 diabetes risk in food deserts and food swamps (communities with limited access to grocery stores and healthy food options, but often home to fast food stops)
• Cancer and the impacts of air pollution, heat, ultraviolet radiation, and other carcinogens and climate factors
• Stress, sleep disruptions , hearing loss , and other impacts due to traffic and other environmental noise
• Depression, cognition, and other brain health factors can be affected by green space

If you live in an urban heat island with few trees, it may be hotter than other neighborhoods— affecting a range of issues, from heat-related illness to asthma and heart disease. It's harder to get outside and exercise, too. When your home was built and the materials used, what insects live nearby, and what food you can access affect your health and the health of your family.

Environmental health is one of the largest fields within public health because of the myriad ways external forces can impact how people eat, live, and grow. These forces can be about addressing the natural environment (as in the case for clean water or sanitation), but they can also be the consequence of human beings' actions—including societal norms.

There are a number of initiatives focused on environmental health in the United States. Among them is the Healthy People 2030 agenda, which highlights six key areas that encompass the various ways environmental health is crucial to the health of communities.

Air Quality

Air is non-negotiable for humans. It's needed to survive and air quality can have a significant impact on health.

Poor air quality has been linked to a wide range of health issues, including SIDS, lung cancer , and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ). Air pollution is also linked to low birth weight.

One2019 study found that people exposed to high levels of air pollutants in the early and late states of pregnancy were more likely to have babies with lower birth weights, or with preterm births, than their non-exposed peers.

The Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act of 1970 marked the first time the federal government took responsibility for protecting the air quality for all U.S. citizens by regulating harmful emissions from things like cars and factories. The act was later expanded in 1990 to address acid rain and ozone depletion.

Water and Sanitation

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 780 million people worldwide don’t have access to safe drinking water, and a jaw-dropping 1.7 billion (or roughly a fifth of Earth’s population) lack adequate sanitation services like clean bathrooms.

The simple act of filtering and chlorinating water systems in the United States has resulted in significant declines in once-common diseases like typhoid . Historically, clean water is responsible for the bulk of the decline in childhood mortality in the country.

The environmental health impact of safe water can't be overstated. An estimated 2,200 children die every day worldwide of diarrheal diseases linked to improper water and sanitation. The United Nations estimates a return of $4.30 in medical and social costs for every dollar spent on clean water.

Toxic Substances and Hazardous Wastes

Toxicology—that is, the area of science devoted to understanding how chemicals and substances can affect people and their surroundings—is an important field in environmental health. Many of the materials needed to advance industries and technology, like heavy metals or even some plastics, can also hurt the human body and even lead to serious medical conditions.

The Flint, Michigan, water crisis is an example of lead poisoning effects in a community that can lead to long-term health complications, including brain damage in children. Economically disadvantaged kids are often most affected.

The Flint crisis, which exposed more than 100,000 people to unsafe lead levels in drinking water, was a prime example of how environmental health issues often hurt those whose health status is already most at risk.

Homes and Communities

Home and neighborhoods are at the core of environmental health. When a neighborhood has a lot of violence, for example, families or older people might not go outside to exercise. When roads aren't properly maintained, it can result in more car crashes. When sidewalks are in poor condition, people may avoid walking for fear of accidents.

An emerging field of environmental health is that of food access. In neighborhoods without full-service grocery stores, people rely on convenience stores, gas stations, and fast food restaurants. This limits fresh produce options—a vital part of a healthy diet. These food deserts contribute to health disparities for low-income and minority populations especially.

Environmental health professionals are urging communities to establish public gardens where residents can grow and harvest their own fresh produce, improve access to public transportation to full-service grocery stores and farmers markets, and change zoning laws to incentivize retailers to offer healthier food options.

Infrastructure and Surveillance 

A primary piece of any public health strategy is information to identify risks and guide the resources and responses to prevent them. This includes investigating and responding to diseases—a field called  epidemiology —as well as screening for hazards and establishing surveillance programs.

Surveillance activities involve either going out and looking for particular health concerns (active surveillance) or by asking professionals in other fields, such as medicine or agriculture, to alert environmental health agencies when they encounter them (passive surveillance).

An example of this in action is mosquito surveillance and abatement activities. These programs test mosquitoes for certain things, including the presence of dangerous infections like  Zika virus , as well as monitor populations to ensure control measures are working. This information can help health officials know what to watch for in doctors' offices, direct local governments on where and how best to spray for mosquitoes, and alert the public if a mosquito-borne illness is spreading in the area.

In the coming decades, environmental health professionals are bracing for a warmer, wetter climate that will likely prompt or exacerbate threats to public health across the globe.

Disease-carrying mosquitoes can live in areas previously too cold for them to survive, upping the number of people impacted by vector-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria . As sea levels rise, whole coastal cities and island nations face flood risks and disease due to displacement.

Even though health outcomes have improved significantly over the past century—in wealthy nations like the United States in particular—environmental hazards and infectious diseases know no geopolitical boundaries. People today are traveling farther and more often than ever before, and conflicts in areas like Syria, Afghanistan, and South Sudan cause millions to flee their homes.

These increases in cross-border and cross-continental movements have the potential to threaten disease prevention efforts and overextend existing infrastructure. That's why it's crucial that countries look beyond their borders to improve the health of the global population overall.

Environmental health is supported by trained experts who assess nutrition and community health, test water for heavy metals, and do research on how rising heat might change where insects are likely to spread disease. They develop laws, policies, and programs at all levels of government.

And while environmental health doesn't focus on individual impacts and footprints, there's much you can do to help. Consider protecting environmental health and safety by:

• Improving air quality. You can ride your bike, take mass transportation, or work from home instead of driving a car to and from work.
• Testing for toxins. You can test for radon gas, lead paint, or heavy metal exposure in pipes to prevent toxicity. Don't forget your cooking stove, which can be a source of indoor air pollution.
• Cooling your home. You can plant trees, install roofs designed for cooling, and make lifestyle choices (like closing off rooms or running certain appliances after dark) to limit heat impacts.
• Promoting healthy food choices. Plant gardens, shop at local farmer's markets, join a food co-op, and consider eating less meat when opting for a diet that's friendlier to environmental health.

Keep in mind that visibility helps to drive environmental health policy. Talk with your government and local businesses about investing in environmental health to ensure every neighbor has the chance to live, work, and play in a healthy and safe community.

Environmental health professionals focus on factors like industrial air pollution, water quality, healthy food access, and safe housing that impact public health. In many cases, these factors (unlike the personal risk of genetics, for example) are preventable or can be changed to improve public health and overall health equity .

Most communities in the United States are served by environmental health agencies, whether at the local and state level or through federal authorities. You can help to improve environmental health by working closely with these professionals, local businesses, and other stakeholders.

But there's much you can do personally to make lifestyle changes, like limiting plastic waste and reducing energy use, that can limit environmental health risk both for you and the planet.

Neta G, Martin L, Collman G. Advancing environmental health sciences through implementation science . Environ Health . 2022 Dec 23;21(1):136. doi:10.1186/s12940-022-00933-0. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Sources of lead exposure .

Bevel MS, Tsai MH, Parham A, Andrzejak SE, Jones S, Moore JX. Association of Food Deserts and Food Swamps With Obesity-Related Cancer Mortality in the US . JAMA Oncol . 2023 Jul 1;9(7):909-916. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.0634. 

Hiatt RA, Beyeler N. Cancer and climate change . Lancet Oncol . 2020 Nov;21(11):e519-e527. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30448-4. 

• American Academy of Pediatrics. New AAP policy, technical report offer advice on reducing harms from excessive noise exposures .

Jimenez MP, Elliott EG, DeVille NV, Laden F, Hart JE, Weuve J, et al .  Residential green space and cognitive function in a large cohort of middle-aged women .  JAMA Netw Open.  2022;5(4):e229306. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9306

Sampath V, Shalakhti O, Veidis E, Efobi JAI, Shamji MH, Agache I, et al . Acute and chronic impacts of heat stress on planetary health . Allergy . 2023 Aug;78(8):2109-2120. doi:10.1111/all.15702. 

Department of Health and Social Services. Healthy People 2030 .

Lee JT. Review of epidemiological studies on air pollution and health effects in children . Clin Exp Pediatr. 2021 Jan;64(1):3-11. doi:10.3345/cep.2019.00843

Liu Y, Xu J, Chen D, Sun P, Ma X. The association between air pollution and preterm birth and low birth weight in Guangdong, China .  BMC Public Health . 2019;19(1):3. doi:10.1186/s12889-018-6307-7

Environmental Protection Agency. Progress Cleaning the Air and Improving People's Health .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Assessing access to water and sanitation .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The water people drink .

Alsan M, Goldin C. Watersheds in child mortality: the role of effective water and sewerage infrastructure, 1880–1920 .  Journal of Political Economy . 2019;127(2):586-638. doi:10.1086/700766

Center for Disease Philanthropy. Water, sanitation and hygiene .

• United Nations. Every dollar invested in water, sanitation brings four-fold return in costs .

World Health Organization. Lead poisoning .

Brown J, Acey CS, Anthonj C, Barrington DJ, Beal CD, Capone D, et al . The effects of racism, social exclusion, and discrimination on achieving universal safe water and sanitation in high-income countries. Lancet Glob Health . 2023 Apr;11(4):e606-e614. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00006-2. 

Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Access to affordable, nutritious food Is limited in “Food Deserts” .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zika virus .

World Mosquito Program. Explainer: How climate change is amplifying mosquito-borne diseases .

U.S. National Library of Medicine. The impact of globalization on infectious disease emergence and control: Exploring the consequences and opportunities: Workshop summary .

Environmental Protection Agency. Radon .

Kiefner-Burmeister A, Heilman CC. A Century of Influences on Parental Feeding in America . Curr Nutr Rep . 2023 Dec;12(4):594-602. doi: 10.1007/s13668-023-00499-4. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  What Is Health Equity?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Environmental Health Services .

Healthy People.gov. Environmental Health . Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental Health Topics .

By Robyn Correll, MPH Correll holds a master of public health degree and has over a decade of experience working in the prevention of infectious diseases.

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Prevalence of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Associated Factors Among Coffee Processing Factory Workers in Addis Ababa and Gelan City in Ethiopia, 2023

Authors: Getahun Legesse , ... Feyisa Shasho Bayisa

Pages: 52-64 Published Online: 15 August 2024

DOI: 10.11648/j.jher.20241003.11

Impact of Polystyrene Exposure on Hepatorenal Responses in Male and Female Albino Wistar Rats

Authors: Chinedu Joseph Okonkwo , ... Udoka Chukwudubem Nnoruka

Pages: 41-51 Published Online: 31 July 2024

DOI: 10.11648/j.jher.20241002.12

Environmental and Health Influences of Crude Oil Spills in Niger Delta, Nigeria: Case Study Oporoma Community

Authors: Ozogu Agbe Nanadeinboemi , ... Modebe Lucy Uju

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Monsoon Season Spatial Distribution of Particulates Concentration in the Road Intersection Area of Different Land Use in Major City in South Asian Countries

Authors: Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder , ... Rasheduzzaman Majumder

Pages: 15-28 Published Online: 20 February 2024

DOI: 10.11648/j.jher.20241001.13

Insecticide Treated Nets Utilization and Associated Factors Among Under 5 Children and Pregnant Women in Hawwa Gelan Woreda, Kellem Wollega Zone

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Application of Cold Atmospheric Plasma to Decrease Biological Contamination on Surfaces of Equipment and Furniture for Indoor Sports Facilities

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Healthier environments could prevent almost one quarter of the global burden of disease. The COVID-19 pandemic is a further reminder of the delicate relationship between people and our planet.

Clean air, stable climate, adequate water, sanitation and hygiene, safe use of chemicals, protection from radiation, healthy and safe workplaces, sound agricultural practices, health-supportive cities and built environments, and a preserved nature are all prerequisites for good health.

13.7 million of deaths per year in 2016, amounting to 24% of the global deaths, are due to modifiable environmental risks. This means that almost 1 in 4 of total global deaths are linked to environment conditions. 

Disease agents and exposure pathways are numerous and unhealthy environmental conditions are common, with the result that most disease and injury categories are being impacted. Noncommunicable diseases, including ischaemic heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers are the most frequent disease outcomes caused.  Injuries, respiratory infections and stroke follow closely.

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Nih environmental justice initiative, environmental justice scholars program.

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Program Goal Program Details Scholar Eligibility Applicant Information Questions? Participating ICOs Contacts

Program Goal

The Environmental Justice (EJ) Scholars Program invites EJ expertise, knowledge, and skills from research scholars, academics, public health and health care professionals, and EJ leaders from community-based organizations to work with staff members at various NIH ICOs.

The EJ Scholars Program aims to:

• Build NIH capacity to advance EJ-related research, programs, and other NIH ICO projects.
• Increase staff and community awareness and skills to address EJ issues.
• Grow and strengthen the NIH network of EJ resource experts.
• Contribute to NIH goals to support underserved and under resourced communities.

The 2024-2025 application cycle for the first cohort is now open!  View the application instructions here: NIH EJ Scholars Application Instructions .

Program Details

Environmental Justice scholars will be hosted by one or more NIH Institute, Center, or Office (ICO) . During the program period, EJ scholars will collaborate with NIH staff on one or more research, education, or training relevant activities, contributing to the wider NIH community (see below). EJ scholars may partner with NIH intramural and/or extramural (grant funded) scientists on projects of shared interests.

Scholars are expected to dedicate up to 25% of their time for up to 10 months to support and collaborate with their host ICO(s). Scholars will work virtually, unless otherwise agreed upon with their host ICO(s). The scholar will work with the host ICO on the structure and terms of their work plan prior to position commencement.

Project Topics and Activities

Depending on ICO needs, scholars may support projects related to EJ topics such as:

• Climate change and climate justice.
• Diet, nutrition, and food justice.
• Mental health consequences of environmental exposures.
• Land use and transportation.
• Energy extraction and energy justice.
• Maternal and child health, pregnancy outcomes.
• Community engaged research approaches.
• Air quality, water pollution, and other environmental exposures.
• Environmental impacts across the life course.
• Interplay of environmental exposure, social determinants of health, and health disparities.
• Translating, communicating, and disseminating research findings to different audiences in culturally appropriate modalities.

Scholars will support their host efforts on a range of activities that may fall within the following areas:

Education and Training

• Host internal and external seminars
• Develop training workshops, courses, and modules
• Inform environmental health and EJ working groups

Public Engagement

• Develop infographics and other gray literature material
• Present at conferences
• Write journal articles
• Write opinion pieces, commentaries, and blog posts
• Speak at NIH-wide and IC-specific webinars

Data Collection, Analysis, and Utilization

• Establish or inform dataset workbooks
• Conduct portfolio analyses
• Write white papers and reports
• Write manuscripts
• Provide consultations

Scholar Eligibility

U.S.‐based or international mid‐career to senior scientist candidates and environmental justice community leaders from academic, non‐profit, or private sectors are eligible to apply. Candidates should have a strong publication record in environmental justice and related health sciences (may include gray literature, such as infographics, podcasts, curriculum, policy statements, or training materials).

• This program is not a postdoctoral training program.
• Candidates do not need to have an NIH funding record.
• U.S. citizenship is not required.
• Former EJ Scholars Program participants are ineligible for a second period of support.

The program is open to recognized leaders in environmental justice from the following groups:

• Academic and research institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions.
• Community, advocacy, charitable, and faith-based organizations.
• Health care and public health organizations.
• Tribal, state, and local government offices.

Scholars should have demonstrated expertise in EJ areas that may include, but are not limited to:

• Behavioral and social sciences research
• Community engagement and partnerships
• Community organizing
• Community-led and Tribal-led research/community science
• Data mapping/visualization
• Disaster response and research.
• Environmental exposure and risk assessment
• Intervention strategies
• Traditional ecological knowledge/Indigenous knowledge
• Community health work and training 
• Policy development and engagement
• Translational research
• Implementation Science
• Workforce training and development
• Women’s health research
• Inclusive health education and research
• Migrant/immigrant health and research
• Communication research
• Youth EJ Leadership training

Applicant information

The 2024-2025 EJ Scholars Program application is now open! Please submit your application package to [email protected] by Friday, October 11th, 2024, at 11:59 PM EDT.

• For more information about how to apply, view the application instructions .
• To learn more about ICO interests, see the ICO interest statements . Applicants are encouraged to review the statements before applying. Please note that the list of interested ICOs included in the document is not exhaustive

Please email: [email protected] .

Upcoming Events

• Informational Webinar - Friday, September 13, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT (registration link forthcoming)” 

Participating NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices

The following NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICO) have expressed interest in recruiting an EJ Scholar (see interest statements for more information about ICO interests). This list is not exclusive.

• All of Us Research Program (AoU)
• Fogarty International Center (FIC)
• National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
• NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

EJ Scholars Program Points of Contact

Liam-ofallon.jpg.

Liam O’Fallon, M.A.

Health Specialist, NIEHS [email protected] 984-287-3298

jessica-au.jpg

Jessica Au, M.P.P.

Program Specialist, NIEHS [email protected] 984-287-4672

juliette-mcclendon.jpg

Juliette McClendon, Ph.D.

Program Director, NIMH [email protected] 301-379-0413

This page last reviewed on August 19, 2024

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Master of Health Science (MHS) in Environmental Health

Offered By: Department of Environmental Health and Engineering

Onsite or Online | Full-Time or Part-Time | 9 months – 2 years

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About the MHS in Environmental Health Program

Want to learn how the environment impacts our health? Consider a Master of Health Science in Environmental Health! Part of the #1 school of public health, this graduate degree program prepares students for careers in medicine, research, advocacy, policy and practice.

One of the School’s shortest degrees, the full-time MHS is a nine-month, coursework-based degree for individuals who want a comprehensive understanding of the association between our environment and health. Students will learn how environmental hazards (not only in air, water and food but also neighborhood and social hazards) affect human health at the individual, population and systems level.

A flexible part-time format is also available.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

MHS in Environmental Health Program Highlights

by peers in Environmental Health Sciences -  U.S. News & World Report

Customizable

Electives offered in 5 different areas

Online or Onsite

Online and part-time options available

Multidisciplinary

Take courses across engineering, business, and more

Areas of Interest

The Department offers courses in the following areas:

Courses in Food Systems, Water and Environmental Sustainability cover the factors that are driving current changes in the global environment and how they can lead to adverse effects on human health at individual and population levels. Through coursework and seminars, students will be exposed to a range of sustainability topics relating to food systems, water quality, use and re-use, the built environment and the multiple impacts of climate change. Research interests can include chemical and biological threats to food safety and water quality and approaches to effective intervention/prevention. This foundation can be used to support plans for subsequent doctoral (e.g. PhD, JD) level training or to pursue a career in government or the private sector. Students interested in this area may also complete the course requirements to receive the Certificate in Food, Environment and Public Health .

Courses in Health Security cover domestic and international health threats, including epidemics, natural disasters, technological accidents, and intentional attacks. Students examine major organizations and initiatives designed to prevent, detect, and respond to health security threats; assess the current status of health security preparedness; and evaluate strategies to enhance health security. These courses are designed for individuals who would like to begin careers in public health and healthcare preparedness, global health security, outbreak and epidemic management, disaster response, and related fields. A subset of courses are taught by faculty from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and informed by the Center’s two decades of scholarship and advocacy on health security policy.

Courses in Population Environmental Health are for students whose research interests involve the use of epidemiologic methods to investigate of the impact of environmental hazards on the health of communities and high-risk populations. Courses in this area provide a strong foundation in epidemiology and biostatistics and the pathways through which environmental chemical and biological exposures lead to detrimental health outcomes. These courses offer skills needed for the use of statistical approaches and introduce students to quantitative skills used in epidemiologic research. Research interests can range from the use of epidemiology to investigate associations between exposure and adverse health outcomes to its applications in risk assessment and environmental health regulatory processes. These courses can be used to support plans for subsequent PhD-level training, applying to medical school with master’s-level research experience or to pursue a career in government or the private sector. Students interested in this area may also complete the course requirements to receive the Certificate in Risk Sciences and Public Policy .

Pre-med courses provide the foundation for students planning to attend medical school. These courses provide a strong understanding of statistics and epidemiology. Elective courses in physiology, advanced toxicology, and environmental and occupational disease not only emphasize knowledge covered on the MCAT but they also differentiate graduates from the typical medical school applicant. Ideal candidates present with a strong foundation in the basic sciences and math. The American Association of Medical Colleges site now lists our MHS as a post-baccalaureate program.

Courses in Toxicology for Human Risk Assessment are designed to match the needs of students with research interests that extend from laboratory-based study of the toxicological and pathophysiological mechanisms of environmental chemical and biological agent exposures to the methods for applying toxicology data to human risk assessment and the development of regulatory policy. Students interested in these courses should have strong backgrounds in the basic sciences and be considering subsequent PhD-level training, applying to medical school with master’s-level research experience, or who may decide to pursue a career in government or private sector research positions.​ Students interested in this area may also complete the course requirements to receive the Certificate in Risk Sciences and Public Policy .

What Can You Do With a Graduate Degree In Environmental Health?

Individuals with this degree go on to work in environmental health policy, climate science, government and NGO settings, continuing graduate study, or medical school. Meet some of our graduates. 

Visit the Graduate Employment Outcomes DashboaRD

Alumni Spotlight: Mona Dai, MHS '17

Mona is a PhD student in environmental science & engineering at Harvard University, working on global pollutants including perfluorinated compounds (PFAS).

Jonathan Josephs-Spaulding, MHS '17

Jonathan is a computational microbiology doctoral student at a German University hospital.

Spotlight: Yinka Bode-George, MHS '17

Yinka N. Bode-George, MHS ’17, leads a national philanthropic nonprofit that transforms sustainability to maximize community impact and achieve environmental justice.

Curriculum for the MHS in Environmental Health

Browse an overview of the requirements for this master's program in the JHU  Academic Catalogue , explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory , and find many more details in the program's Student Handbook.

Admissions Requirements

For the general admissions requirements see our How to Apply page.

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores (GRE, MCAT) are  optional  for this program. The admissions committee will make no assumptions if a standardized test score is omitted from an application, but will require evidence of quantitative/analytical ability through other application components such as academic transcripts and/or supplemental questions.  Applications will be reviewed holistically based on all application components.

Tuition and Funding

Limited number of partial-tuition scholarships

Which degree is right for you?

We have a number of degrees designed to meet various professional and educational goals.

QUIZ: WHICH DEGREE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

DURATION:   9 months full-time, onsite/online;  2 years, part-time, onsite/online

BEST FOR:   Applicants who wish to pursue a PhD or a career in the intersection of environmental and public health

BOTTOM LINE:   One-year program culminates in a short essay

GOOD TO KNOW:   Academic degree focusing on a specific area of public health, typically science-oriented

MHS PROGRAM PAGE

DURATION:  2 years, full-time, onsite

BEST FOR:  Applicants interested in hands-on experiences leading to research careers; good for students considering PhD programs

BOTTOM LINE:  The first year involves classes, while the second year involves full-time research with faculty (based on a proposal from year one), culminating in a thesis

GOOD TO KNOW:  Students get hands-on experience and conduct their own research

ScM PROGRAM PAGE

DURATION :  9 months (onsite) followed by a 7- to 12-month internship

BEST FOR:   Those seeking a career in the field of human health and environmental risk assessment

BOTTOM LINE:   Professional degree focused on fundamental concepts and testing approaches used in classic risk assessment processes

GOOD TO KNOW:   Only program of its kind in the U.S. Students completing the program can also earn the Certificate in Risk Sciences and Public Policy .

MS PROGRAM PAGE

DURATION:   1.5 years full-time (onsite)

BEST FOR:   Applicants with prior coursework in basic sciences who want a career in occupational health

BOTTOM LINE:   Designed to prepare students to pass the Certified Industrial Hygienist Examination

GOOD TO KNOW:   Complete an internship between years one and two to get work experience in industrial hygiene . This program is administered by the Whiting School of Engineering, but all classes are offered through the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

MSOEH PROGRAM PAGE

DURATION:   up to 5 years part-time (hybrid)

BEST FOR:   Professionals currently working in the field who want to advance their career in occupational health

GOOD TO KNOW:   Flexible format; complete independent project at your place of employment . This program is administered by the Whiting School of Engineering’s Engineering for Professionals program, but all classes are offered through the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Questions about the program? We're happy to help. [email protected]

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Journal Abbreviation: INT J ENV RES PUB HE Journal ISSN: 1660-4601

About International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

You may also be interested in the following journals

• ► PLoS One
• ► European Journal of Pharmacology
• ► Journal of Environmental Biology
• ► International Journal of Mining Reclamation and Environment
• ► Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology
• ► Plant Cell and Environment
• ► Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
• ► Plant Biology
• ► Perspectives in Public Health
• ► Critical Public Health

Top Journals in environmental

• Nature Climate Change
• Applied Catalysis B-Environmental
• ISME Journal
• Global Change Biology
• Environmental Health Perspectives
• Frontiers in Ecology and The Environment
• Ecological Monographs
• Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology
• Environment International
• Conservation Letters
• Water Research
• Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

Journal Impact

JPB-Harvard Fellowship supports pilot research for Dr. Mike Anastario

The JPB-Harvard Environmental Health Fellowship supports junior faculty who conduct research on the combined influence of environmental and social determinants of health inequities. The program offers training, collaborative learning, and research support for fellows to conduct innovative pilot research.  “It’s a privilege to have an opportunity like this,” mentioned Dr. Mike Anastario , the newest faculty member in the Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) and the Department of Health Sciences . Dr. Anastario recently received a fellowship for his project entitled, “Exposure to heavy metals among Indigenous people who inject methamphetamine.” 

Blending biochemical and behavioral analyses

Dr. Anastario’s research evaluates heavy metal exposures and the biological accumulation of heavy metals among Indigenous people who inject methamphetamine. Over the past few years, Anastario has grown attentive to the “everyday hypotheses” and stories that people who use injection drugs narrate regarding their health. He plans to utilize his support and training through the program to advance the science of harm reduction for Indigenous people who use injection drugs.

“Findings from the research we conduct will inform the development of methamphetamine injector-centered harm reduction strategies,” says Anastario. “The fellowship will also provide me with experience and training that blends biochemical and behavioral exposure assessment methods.”

The JPB Environmental Health Fellowship program   

This program brings together empathetic leaders and diligent scholars from across the country to conduct innovative research on social and environmental factors impacting health equity. The fellowship program includes 44 fellows addressing crucial environmental and societal challenges in underserved communities.   

The fellowship offers funding ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 over 3.5 years. Along with financial support, the program provides:  

• Mentorship  
• Training in proposal writing  
• Leadership  
• Communication  
• Professional growth  
• Networking with passionate individuals nationwide   

Director of fellowship comes to Northern Arizona University   

Dr. Jack Spengler , Director of the JPB Fellowship Program, recently visited Dr. Anastario at NAU. While he was here, he spoke to a group of 25 faculty, staff, and students about the risks of air pollution and what we can do to address climate change and sustainability. Spengler is the Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and has dedicated his professional journey to studying the effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution on human health.  

“We’ve been borrowing from the Earth without paying it back,” echoed from the microphone as Dr. Spengler shared his findings on global climate change. Bringing voices like Dr. Spengler’s to NAU expands our understanding about the current state of our changing world, impacts on human health, and suggestions about what can be done to implement positive change.  

Mission Statement

The Center for Environmental Research and Community Health (CERCH) works to understand and reduce the risk of environmental threats to children's health, locally and globally.

We conduct cutting edge scientific research to help protect pregnant mothers and children from potentially harmful chemicals in the environment. CERCH is a world renowned research center in UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. We study environmental exposures and their impacts on pregnant women and children's health. Combined, our 200+ peer-reviewed scientific studies and extensive community engagement efforts have touched lives and influenced policies to reduce environmental exposures locally, statewide, nationally, and globally. Click here to sign up for CERCH's Newsletter.  

Learn more >>

Be a hero to the next generation, support our work!

Click here to sign up for cerch's newsletter.

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Environmental sustainability of research and innovation

• Related content
• Peer review
• Jonathan E Slutzman , assistant professor of emergency medicine 1 ,
• Alexandra Barratt , professor of public health 2 ,
• Jodi D Sherman , associate professor of anesthesiology 3
• 1 Center for the Environment and Health Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School
• 2 Wiser Healthcare University of Sydney
• 3 Yale Center on Climate Change and Health Yale School of Public Health
• Corrrespondence to: J Sherman jodi.sherman{at}yale.edu

New concordat is necessary but no match for the scale of the challenge

The newly released Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, co-developed by the UK research and innovation community—including universities, research organisations, funders, and their partners—represents a broad ambition for the sector to transition to a sustainable future. 1 Concordat signatories are asked to prioritise action on leadership and system change, sustainable infrastructure, sustainable procurement, emissions from business and academic travel, collaborations and partnerships, and reporting data on the environmental impact of their activities.

We commend the developers of the concordat for encouraging the advancement of environmental sustainability in research and innovation across all sectors, including healthcare, but it does not go far enough given the scale of the challenge. Important limitations include the voluntary nature of the concordat, lack of clarity in reporting standards and guidance, lack of verification, and a limited capacity to address the environmental impact of supply chains.

First, action stronger than voluntary participation is needed to achieve the scale and speed of the changes required. The clock is ticking, and the global carbon budget is dwindling. 2 The concordat emphasises the “need to act now” with measures in the next 5-10 years that include “deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions” and “actions to address unsustainable resource consumption.” But to really drive change, public and private research funders, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Wellcome, should consider making funding contingent on a commitment to the concordat. This would create the strongest possible incentive for all stakeholders.

Accountability

Second, although the concordat calls on its signatories to publicly disclose their commitments and report progress, there is no verification requirement and the consequences of failure to follow through are unclear. Verification is essential and could be achieved through the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) or a similar authority. The directive requires large and listed companies, including some independent research organisations, to measure, track, and disclose direct and indirect emissions, along with their efforts to operationalise sustainability. 3 Assurances are assessed through transparent third party verification, to avert greenwashing and reduce the risk of conflicts of interest.

Clear reporting standards are also important for ensuring accountability, but the concordat provides limited guidance on emissions accounting. Consistent with guidance from the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, 4 the concordat recommends including direct greenhouse gas emissions, indirect energy emissions, and other indirect emissions that are material to an organisation’s activities. The first two are well defined and quantifiable but usually contribute only a minority (15-35%) of an organisation’s emissions. Other indirect emissions, such as those arising from supply chains, business travel, and waste management, comprise a much larger proportion of an organisation’s carbon footprint but are harder to measure. Accuracy is particularly important when comparing emissions across different organisations and when tracking emissions over time.

Measuring greenhouse gas emissions associated with procurement and supply chains is critical since purchased goods and services often comprise at least 50% of an organisation’s emissions. The concordat encourages life cycle assessment (LCA) where possible, as this is the most accurate way to quantify these emissions. However, LCAs require expertise and resources unavailable to many organisations. Furthermore, each analysis has a specific scope and goals, limiting generalisability, and the quality of existing assessments is heterogeneous.

In response to the mixed quality of existing LCAs, proposed guidelines for assessing the environmental consequences of healthcare (Ecohealth) aim to provide a reporting standard for analyses relevant to healthcare, including research and innovation. 5 This will improve both the quality and the comparability of sustainability reports.

Ultimately, though, industry partners in research and innovation will have to use their own knowledge of materials, production methods, and energy sources to report product level emissions in a standardised and verifiable way that enables downstream organisations to report supply chain emissions accurately. This would be better than the spend based models suggested by the concordat.

Finally, the concordat asks institutions to establish “sustainable procurement policy … that prioritise[s] more environmentally sustainable options” but does not indicate how. Manufacturers make numerous claims about the environmental credentials of their products and services, but without evidence based on standardised product level LCAs and independent verification of claims, purchasers may make incorrect choices based on inaccurate or misleading environmental information.

Consistent with the EU’s CSRD, NHS England is phasing in a requirement for vendors of healthcare products and services to report emissions in a standardised, transparent, verified manner along with decarbonisation plans consistent with the Paris agreement. Product level disclosures will be required by 2028. 6 The concordat could help create collective purchasing power to drive down embodied emissions by directing signatories to require standardised and verified product level environmental disclosures in all their purchasing processes. This would also improve environmental accounting and procurement decisions.

We support the concordat’s vision and aspiration but call for more, to enable the research and innovation sector to truly lead change. This means mandatory, verified reporting of emissions by all stakeholders using accurate, comparable methods to help organisations make better environmental choices.

Competing interests: The BMJ has judged that there are no disqualifying financial ties to commercial companies. The authors declare the following other interests: JES has received consulting fees from Teleflex, AstraZeneca, and AlphaSights; honorariums for speaking on healthcare sustainability from the University of New Mexico, Columbia University, the University of Colorado, Harvard University, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; and travel reimbursements to speak on healthcare sustainability from the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society, Vizient, University of Colorado, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Further details of The BMJ policy on financial interests are here: https://www.bmj.com/sites/default/files/attachments/resources/2016/03/16-current-bmj-education-coi-form.pdf .

Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; not externally peer reviewed.

• Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice. https://wellcome.org/what-we-do/our-work/environmental-sustainability-concordat
• Friedlingstein P ,
• O’Sullivan M ,
• European Commission. Corporate sustainability reporting. https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en
• EUAC. Standardised Carbon Emissions Framework. [REMOVED IF= FIELD] https://www.eauc.org.uk/scef
• Slutzman J ,
• Barratt A ,
• Eckelman M ,
• McAlister S ,
• MacNeil A ,
• NHS England. Greener NHS: suppliers. https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/get-involved/suppliers/