Extreme heat poses a threat to the health and wellbeing of millions of people worldwide living in climate-vulnerable housing. Cool roofs are a potential passive-cooling housing retrofit solution that is affordable and scalable to reduce heat exposure and improve community health and wellbeing. To conduct a scoping review to systematically identify and map the research addressing the effect of residential cool roofs on health and wellbeing, identify knowledge gaps, and inform the design of future empirical studies. Six online databases were searched from 1980 to July 2025 to identify relevant papers. We selected 14 publications that compared cool roofs with non-cool roofs, measured their effects on health and wellbeing, and summarised the data in a narrative synthesis. All publications were modelling studies, with the majority (71
This review synthesised evidence on associations between air pollution and respiratory morbidity in Africa. Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed, ScienceDirect and Elicit for case-control studies published between 2015 and 2025. Thirteen studies from ten African countries reported pollutant levels far exceeding WHO guidelines. Indoor PM₂.₅ in biomass-using homes ranged from 96 to 177 µg/m³, and ambient PM₂.₅ reached 259 µg/m³. Nitrogen oxides were consistently associated with reduced lung function in children, while household air pollution increased risks of under-five mortality and low birthweight. Associations with acute respiratory infections varied across settings. Vulnerability was greatest among young children, those with airway hyperresponsiveness, and households with poor ventilation. Only three studies included temperature, and none examined heat–respiratory interactions. Across African case-control studies, particulate matter and household air pollution remain consistently linked to adverse respiratory outcomes, highlighting urgent needs for cleaner fuels, improved ventilation, and stronger evidence on combined pollution and heat exposures.
The Health Effects Institute recently completed an extensive research initiative to investigate novel approaches to improve assessment of long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution for health studies in North America and Europe. This overview synthesizes the key results, strengths, and limitations, along with other key research and future research needs. Exposures predicted from the various models, including those accounting for daily mobility patterns and outdoor-indoor infiltration rates, generally resulted in moderately to highly correlated exposure estimates (correlation > 0.7). Health effect estimates associated with the alternative exposures were similar, albeit with some notable differences in the magnitude – but not the direction — of the associations. This research initiative can inform decisions about estimating air pollution exposure in epidemiological studies, as investigators balance concerns about bias, efficiency, and resource needs. Future work is needed to replicate findings in other studies and regions. Other areas of future work include generating representative validation data for long-term exposure estimates, propagating exposure measurement error more fully into health effect estimates and improving understanding of the influence of indoor environments.
This review synthesizes recent evidence linking indoor air quality (IAQ) in K-12 schools to the distinct outcomes of (1) student cognitive and academic performance and (2) educator health, perception, and behavior. Recent studies confirm that indoor air pollutants negatively impact student academic performance and cognitive functioning. Educators’ subjective perceptions of IAQ are not concordant with objective measures of IAQ. Few studies examine the impact of objectively measured IAQ on educator health and performance. School IAQ is a critical environmental factor that simultaneously impacts both student learning and educator performance. This review highlights the need for a "whole school" approach, encouraging future studies to consider these dual impacts concurrently.
This review critically examines the role of citizen science in air-pollution monitoring and its integration into environmental health research. It explores how participatory approaches, including low-cost sensors and community co-creation, can enhance spatial resolution, public engagement, and environmental justice, while assessing data quality, health relevance, and scalability. Recent studies document the expanding global deployment of citizen science air quality monitoring networks. Advances in calibration algorithms, wearable technologies, and participatory data-collection methods have strengthened capacity to assess real-time exposure. Several projects demonstrate the increasing technical sophistication and policy relevance of citizen-generated air quality data. Citizen science provides hyperlocal insights into air quality and exposure, strengthens risk communication, and contributes to health-impact assessment. Although challenges remain regarding data reliability, representativeness, and policy uptake, emerging approaches, including AI-assisted calibration and distributed sensor networks, offer promising pathways forward. An integrative framework can support sustained community engagement and evidence-informed action to improve air quality.
Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity worldwide, with growing evidence linking wildfire exposure to adverse mental health outcomes. This scoping review aimed to summarize and critically assess the existing quantitative literature on wildfire-related mental health impacts. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify studies published between 2000 and 2025, which we analyzed to understand how wildfires were investigated, evaluate how exposure was measured, assess mental health outcomes, and identify persistent gaps in the literature. Of 251 unique manuscripts identified, 85 met inclusion criteria. Studies were primarily conducted in Australia (34.1
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are ubiquitous, and exposure to them has been associated with adverse reproductive health in both animals and humans. While the adverse effects of maternal EDC exposures on pregnancy outcomes have been extensively investigated, an increasing body of literature is now examining the role of paternal exposure, given its potential impact on sperm epigenetics. This review summarizes human studies examining associations between paternal exposure to several EDCs and couples’ pregnancy outcomes. Biomarker-based studies suggest potential negative associations between paternal preconception exposure to certain phthalates and couples’ pregnancy outcomes, whereas studies for bisphenol A and parabens have shown little to no associations. The evidence regarding benzophenones, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and flame-retardant chemicals remains limited and inconclusive. Given the critical knowledge gaps in this field, additional couple-based studies with repeated preconception exposure measurements are needed to clarify the effects of paternal exposure to individual EDCs and their mixtures on couples’ pregnancy outcomes. Additional studies on potential biological mechanisms that may explain these associations (e.g., sperm epigenome) are also warranted.
As a framework for understanding inequities in nature access andbelongingness among Black Americans, this review examines the historical and public health significance of “Walking While Black.” By tracingthe colloquial evolution of "Walking While Black," contemporary experiences within a broader history of racialized surveillance and exclusionare positioned. Recent research indicates that inequities in nature access extend beyond the physical availability of parks and green spaces to include safety, inclusion, and belongingness. Historical and contemporary forms of racial exclusion have limited outdoor engagement for many Black Americans. These inequities are associated with reduced physical activity, chronic stress, anxiety, hypervigilance, environmental injustice, and diminished opportunities for social connection and community engagement. “Walking While Black” reflects the enduring racialization of mobility and presence in public and natural spaces. The resulting barriers to nature access and belongingness contribute to physical, mental, emotional, and social health disparities among Black Americans. Achieving environmental and health equity requires both expanding access to green spaces and creating environments where Black individuals can safely and freely exist without fear, suspicion, or exclusion.
To evaluate the recent literature on differential exposure to and health risks from wildfire smoke across subpopulations, whether wildfire-derived PM2.5 affects health differently from non-wildfire-derived PM2.5, and how wildfire smoke composition affects health. We found inconsistent evidence of differential exposure to and health risks from wildfire PM2.5 by population subgroups. This could be due to variation in wildfire PM2.5 infiltration into buildings and ability to take individual protective actions, both of which have been noted to be related to socio-economic status in the recent scientific literature. Respiratory health endpoints have been the most consistent and commonly evaluated health outcome in studies of wildfire smoke; additional research is needed to resolve conflicting findings for non-respiratory health outcomes (e.g., cardiovascular disease). Although some recent studies have documented larger health risks from wildfire-derived as compared to non-wildfire-derived PM2.5, we document how further research could evaluate whether these findings are confounded by type of fuel burned, due to methodological concerns, or are true. We also conclude that more research is necessary to elucidate potential differences in health risks of constituents of wildfire smoke other than PM2.5 or from burning of different fuels. Wildfire smoke is projected to continue to increase. We encourage future research to move away from further documentation of respiratory health impacts of wildfire smoke, which has been very well established, into studies of other health endpoints that have been less well studied to date, more exploration into health effects from wildfire smoke constituents other than PM2.5 and from different types of fires (i.e., wildland urban interface (WUI) fires versus wildland fires), and additional exploration of remaining uncertainties with a goal of further supporting public health protection from wildfire smoke.
In this commentary, we focus on the association between exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and effects on breastfeeding duration and mammary gland function. We argue that the ability to breastfeed is vulnerable to PFAS exposure and question whether recent regulatory and clinical decision-making contexts have adequately acknowledged these important public health impacts. Across geographically and sociodemographically distinct human populations, shorter duration of breastfeeding is apparent among those with the highest levels of circulating PFAS during pregnancy. Further, toxicological studies indicate that the mammary gland is one of the most sensitive tissues to disruption from PFAS exposure. However, recent analyses, such as the human health toxicity assessment supporting the national primary drinking water regulations and clinical monitoring recommendations fail to adequately incorporate these data into regulatory and clinical decisions that should also support new mothers and their infants. To be more protective of public health, we recommend that mammary gland functional effects, including breastfeeding duration, be incorporated in future risk assessment, regulatory, and clinical decision-making contexts. Future toxicological research, including routine toxicological testing, should use contemporary measures of mammary gland development and function to more fully evaluate the impacts on mammary gland function after exposure to a wider variety of PFAS beyond perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). In addition, clinical recommendations regarding breastfeeding should acknowledge and address the unique concerns expressed by PFAS-exposed individuals and communities.
Chemical hair straighteners may contribute to adverse health outcomes, particularly among women of color, due to their higher use of these products. However, there is limited research on which chemical ingredients and contaminants may be the most putative agents. We conducted a scoping review to summarize the existing exposure assessment literature on chemicals of concern in two popular types of chemical hair straighteners (chemical relaxers and keratin treatments) and provide recommendations for future research. Twenty-one studies and reports used one or more of the following methods to identify chemicals of concern: product testing, ingredient label analysis, biomonitoring, and air monitoring. Multiple chemicals were characterized in these products including formaldehyde, formaldehyde releasing preservatives (FRPs), volatile organic compounds, fragrance ingredients, metals, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) (e.g., phthalates, phenols, and parabens). Chemical composition varied by product type, with keratin treatments more frequently containing formaldehyde or FRPs and relaxers containing EDCs and fragrance ingredients. In addition to assessing potential exposures for consumers, several studies highlighted the potential for higher exposures in salon workers. Multiple chemicals of concern, including endocrine active and carcinogenic chemicals, were identified in these products, and composition varied by product type. Future research should use new approaches, such as exposomics, to understand the full extent of environmental exposures among consumers and salon workers. Community-informed interventions are also imperative for reducing chemical exposures of concern and related health outcomes.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals affect nearly every human on the planet and are known to interfere with reproduction. Most studies have focused on gestational exposure effects in females. Emerging evidence indicates that preconception exposures in males can also impact pregnancy outcomes and offspring health. This review describes how several major endocrine disruptors impair key male fertility endpoints and their subsequent effects on downstream processes, including fertilization and the health of the next generation(s). Endocrine disrupting chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, bisphenols, phthalates, and parabens can have widespread effects on male fertility by interfering with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and through direct effects on the male reproductive system. These effects include impaired semen quality (sperm count, morphology, motility), changes in the spermatogenic process, mitochondrial disruption, reactive oxygen species generation, skewed energy metabolism, germ cell apoptosis, and changes in the sperm epigenome (DNA methylation, histone modifications, noncoding RNAs). Studies continue to demonstrate that paternal endocrine disruptor exposure impacts the next generation and in some cases beyond, with studies in animal models showing disruption of fertility in the F1 and F2 generations, and studies of occupational exposures in humans showing increased risks of low birth weight and congenital heart disease for children born to exposed fathers. The hypothesis that preconception paternal exposures are consequential to future generations has slowly been gaining traction, but more research is needed to better understand the intergenerational and transgenerational health consequences of endocrine disruptor exposures, the underlying mechanisms, and, given the growing ubiquity of these chemicals in our food and environment, to develop and implement strategies for mitigation of these effects.
This review examines government-sponsored environmental justice indices used in the United States, focusing on how their design choices operationalize justice. Rather than evaluating index outputs, we analyze their structural features, aggregation strategies, and underlying assumptions, and assess how they are used in peer-reviewed research between 2020 and 2025. Across jurisdictions, indices show strong structural convergence, typically including exposure and vulnerability domains. Additive and multiplicative aggregation approaches encode different assumptions about how burdens interact, affecting community rankings and designations. Despite growing policy influence, indices are infrequently used as primary analytical tools in research. Procedural and recognitional dimensions remain weakly represented, and index construction is rarely examined explicitly. Environmental justice indices function not only as measurement tools but as governance mechanisms shaping eligibility and resource allocation. While effective for distributive screening, they represent partial definitions of justice and should be interpreted with caution within broader democratic and community-based frameworks.
Louisiana has one of the largest concentrations of petrochemical industry in the USA. Many studies have assessed patterns of industrial pollution and health in Louisiana; we aim to systematically review this evidence. We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, APA PsycInfo, and GreenFILE for peer-reviewed papers published 1999–2024 that reported geographical variation in health or industrial pollution, and/or tested for an association between the two in Louisiana. We used Covidence to support standardized review and extraction. We identified 2485 non-duplicate papers in our search; 53 met the inclusion criteria. Most reported quantitative findings. All studies of industrial pollution described air pollution (some also described other pollution). Studies described various health outcomes, including cancer, respiratory health, mortality, and COVID-19. Overall, people who lived closer to industrial activity had higher pollution exposure and worse health. Black and lower-income residents were exposed to more industrial activity than white and higher-income residents. Twenty-one studies assessed statistical associations between industrial pollution and health; many found an association. Twenty-one studies were quantitative and adjusted for confounding, 29 studies did not adjust for confounding (including qualitative studies), and three studies did not adjust for confounding and had authors with industry ties. Evidence suggests that there is a higher burden of air pollution and worse health outcomes in industrialized areas of Louisiana. While there was some evidence of significant associations between industrial pollution and health outcomes, research with larger sample sizes and improved pollution exposure measurements could be informative.
Science has long examined how the built environment impacts health and wellbeing, yet most research has relied on observational and longitudinal studies. Much less attention has been paid to field experiments as a method to understand how environmental conditions may impact health. Although formal field experiments are common in public health, environmental psychology and related fields, they remain rare in urban planning and design despite their potential to inform how urban transformations may improve health and wellbeing. This scoping review examines how field experiments have been used to assess the health and wellbeing impacts of the built environment. Following an extensive keyword search, we identified studies published between 2015 and 2025 that employed a field experimental design in an urban or peri-urban context and directly assessed health-related outcomes associated with built environment characteristics or interventions. A total of 26 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analysed according to their topical focus, methodological design, assessed health outcomes, and reported challenges and limitations. Most studies focused on the health and wellbeing impacts of exposure to urban green features, accounting for over two thirds of reviewed studies. Mental health and wellbeing outcomes were assessed more frequently than physical health outcomes, often through a combination of self-reported and objective physiological measures. Only a limited number of studies involved direct interventions or transformations of the built environment, while most compared existing environmental conditions. The limited number of field experiments addressing issues beyond urban green features suggests there is considerable opportunity to expand the use of field experiments to assess the health impacts of other types of built environment interventions, particularly in the context of the growing popularity of tactical urbanism and temporary urban transformations.
We explore and summarize the evidence linking cooking to health with consideration of the broader implications for nutrition security. We begin with an overview of social transformations in everyday meal preparation over the past century and how these transformations and cooking at home are associated behaviors. With increased availability of prepared and processed foods in the food environment, making meals at home has emerged as a pro-health behavior with the potential to promote nutrition. Food agency is a means of defining and assessing meal preparation practices, which include cooking but also other practical and cognitive actions. We discuss the theory and measurement of food agency and provide a framework for action to better understand and address possible associations between food agency, cooking skills and behavior, and nutrition security. Available evidence suggests higher level cooking skills, greater frequency of cooking at home, and higher cooking confidence are associated with greater fruit and vegetable intake and higher diet quality. However, numerous barriers to making meals from whole ingredients at home exist including food environments and sociocultural pressures that prioritize convenience. Much of the current research on food and cooking remains focused on consumption. However, more work is needed to articulate the pathways through which food agency and cooking could support dietary quality and nutrition security.
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been linked to environmental exposures, yet the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers an important in vivo tool for examining how environmental neurotoxicants impact brain development. This scoping review synthesizes current evidence on the associations between air pollution, metals, environmental tobacco smoke, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) assessed from pregnancy through childhood and neuroimaging findings in children diagnosed with NDDs. We identified 14 studies examining associations between environmental exposures and MRI outcomes in children with NDDs. Air pollution exposure was linked to reduced volumes in the caudate nucleus and corpus callosum. Metal exposure was associated with changes in cortical thickness and functional connectivity, varying by metal and diagnosis. Tobacco smoke exposure correlated with reduced volumes in the cerebellum and frontal cortex and disruptions in white matter and neural networks. EDCs were linked to cortical thinning and altered task-related brain activity, with some studies reporting associations with symptom severity among children with ADHD. Overall, the literature suggests that exposure to neurotoxicants may disrupt brain development in children with NDDs. Future research should prioritize longitudinal, transdiagnostic designs with repeated exposure assessments and multimodal imaging, as well as advanced statistical modeling, to better capture the complex relationships between exposure and outcome. These findings underscore the importance of public health interventions to mitigate exposure to neurotoxicants and minimize potential neurodevelopmental risks.
Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) is linked to numerous adverse health outcomes. However, limiting exposure to EDCs remains a significant challenge due to their widespread uses and persistence in the environment. Adequate micronutrient status supports optimal health and may offer actionable strategies for mitigating the adverse health effects of EDCs. This scoping review aimed to summarize the epidemiologic evidence on micronutrients as potential mitigators of EDC-related health outcomes, with the goal of guiding future research and methodologies. We identified 71 epidemiologic studies assessing micronutrients as mitigators of EDC-outcome relations, focused primarily on exposures during pregnancy (n = 34). Most studies examined phthalates and/or environmental phenols (n = 25), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (n = 15), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (n = 10), and self-reported pesticide exposure (n = 6). Most studies suggested higher levels of some micronutrients attenuated adverse associations of EDCs with some health outcomes, particularly iodine (thyroid hormones); folic acid (fertility, birth outcomes, neurodevelopment); vitamin D (lung function, neurodevelopment); and antioxidants (birth outcomes, aging, metabolic health). However, included studies assessed a wide range of micronutrients, EDCs, and outcomes, with limited overlap across studies. This scoping review identified few topics with substantial evidence to warrant focused systematic reviews, suggesting that additional prospective research is needed, especially in at-risk populations and sensitive periods outside of pregnancy. Future epidemiologic research should consider the co-occurrence of EDCs and micronutrients in foods and include multiple methods for assessing micronutrients. Finally, to strengthen causal inference, future research should thoughtfully model potential confounding, mediation, effect measure modification, and/or statistical interaction.
Antimicrobial compounds are pervasive consumer product additives that have been linked to allergic disease outcomes. Human-affiliated microbiomes may induce susceptibility or confer resilience to antimicrobials, or may be a mechanistic link between antimicrobials and allergy. In this review we summarize what is known about the connections between antimicrobials, microbiomes, and allergic disease states in children. Our review highlights studies on triclosan, a legacy antimicrobial, while pointing to the need for more research on parabens and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), which have continued widespread use in the United States. We found evidence that childhood triclosan exposure is linked to eczema, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, and the few studies of parabens and QACs also found associations with allergy outcomes. Microbiomes in the gut and airways, on skin, and potentially in human milk are also linked to allergic outcomes. Together these findings provide evidence that antimicrobials and microbes may interact in their associations with allergy, but most studies have not looked at microbes as mediators or modifiers of these associations. While the existing evidence of associations among antimicrobials, microbiomes, and allergic disease is compelling, additional epidemiologic and mechanistic studies are needed to elucidate the nature and directionality of these associations.
Pesticide exposure is an urgent environmental health issue in the Global South, where structural inequalities, weak regulation, and the export of banned chemicals from the Global North create disproportionate risks for marginalized populations. While environmental justice (EJ) frameworks are increasingly applied in environmental health research, their integration in pesticide research and interventions in the Global South has not been reviewed. This scoping review maps how EJ is conceptualized and operationalized in studies on pesticides in the Global South, identifying justice dimensions, methodological approaches, and interventions. Fifty-four peer-reviewed and grey literature sources (1995 to 2024, English language) were reviewed using a five-dimensional EJ framework: distributive, procedural, recognition, capabilities-based, and epistemic justice. Distributive justice dominated, procedural and recognition justice were inconsistently addressed, and capabilities-based and epistemic justice were rarely applied. EJ applications varied regionally: Central and South American studies had a pluralistic approach to EJ. Sub-Saharan African (SSA) research emphasized acute exposure disparities but lacked epistemic justice. Southeast Asia focused on gender and caste-based inequities, and the Middle East and North African (MENA) region was notably under-represented, highlighting a significant geographic gap. Interventions included pesticide bans, litigation, advocacy, user training, and household adaptations, yet most reinforced individual responsibility rather than addressing structural drivers of pesticide use. Additional gaps include limited gender-specific analyses, scarce epidemiological evidence, and co-production of knowledge with affected communities. Pesticide-related EJ scholarship in the Global South remains uneven, with major regional, methodological, and epistemological gaps. Advancing EJ requires rights-based, community-led, gender-sensitive and epistemically inclusive approaches, strengthened regulations, and a global ban on prohibited pesticides.
