Current Environmental Health Reports

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this narrative review, we summarize the peer-reviewed literature published between 2017 and 2022 that evaluated ambient environmental risk factors for primary headache disorders, which affect more than half of the population globally. Primary headache disorders include migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), and trigeminal and autonomic cephalalgias (TAC). RECENT FINDINGS: We identified 17 articles that met the inclusion criteria via PubMed or Google Scholar...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although many environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution) are geographically patterned and persist as a result of historic economic policies (e.g., redlining), the impact of reproductive and social policies on maternal and child health remains incompletely understood. Reproductive and social policies are increasingly important for maternal and child health equity, particularly following the 2022 US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization ("Dobbs decision"), which restricted access to abortion...

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PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review applies an environmental justice perspective to synthesize knowledge of flood-related health disparities across demographic groups in the USA. The primary aim is to examine differential impacts on physical and mental health outcomes while also assessing methodological considerations such as flood exposure metrics, baseline health metrics, and community engagement. RECENT FINDINGS: In our review (n = 27), 65% and 72% of studies identified racial, ethnic, or socio-economic disparities in physical and mental health outcomes post-flooding, respectively...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe the role of health equity in the context of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) technologies. RECENT FINDINGS: CCUS technologies have the potential to both improve and worsen health equity. They could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to climate change, but they could also have negative health impacts like air and noise pollution. More research is needed to fully understand the health equity implications of CCUS technologies...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Clearly defining and measuring neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) is a key first step in achieving environmental justice, as the disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards and access to resources is heavily influenced by socioeconomic factors. This scoping review explores the definition of neighborhoods, measurement of neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), and studies that evaluated the association between nSES and child health in accordance with PRISMA guidelines...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We summarize the recent literature investigating exposure to four nonchemical stressors (financial stress, racism, psychosocial stress, and trauma) and DNA methylation, miRNA expression, and mRNA expression. We also highlight the relationships between these epigenetic changes and six critical perinatal outcomes (preterm birth, low birth weight, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, childhood allergic disease, and childhood neurocognition). RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple studies have found financial stress, psychosocial stress, and trauma to be associated with DNA methylation and/or miRNA and mRNA expression...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Drought is one of the most far-reaching natural disasters, yet drought and health research is sparse. This may be attributed to the challenge of quantifying drought exposure, something complicated by multiple drought indices without any designed for health research. The purpose of this general review is to evaluate current drought and health literature and highlight challenges or scientific considerations when performing drought exposure and health assessments. RECENT FINDINGS: The literature revealed a small, but growing, number of drought and health studies primarily emphasizing Australian, western European, and US populations...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review provides insights into resolving intergenerational issues related to the disposal of waste containing high amounts of uranium (uranium waste), from which distant future generations will have higher health risks than the current generation. RECENT FINDINGS: Uranium (half-life: 4.5 billion years) produces various progeny radionuclides through radioactive decay over the long term, and its radioactivity, as the sum of its contributions, continues to increase for more than 100,000 years...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment and humans worldwide has ignited scientific research, government inquiry, and public concern over numerous adverse health effects associated with PFAS exposure. In this review, we discuss the use of PFAS immunotoxicity data in regulatory and clinical decision-making contexts and question whether recent efforts adequately account for PFAS immunotoxicity in public health decision-making. RECENT FINDINGS: Government and academic reviews confirm the strongest human evidence for PFAS immunotoxicity is reduced antibody production in response to vaccinations, particularly for tetanus and diphtheria...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Almost 3 billion people worldwide use solid fuel for cooking and heating. This review examines (i) household energy practices and infrastructures and their influence on fuel usage in different contexts; (ii) barriers in adoption of household clean energy technologies and uses in diverse settings and population groups and (iii) potential air pollution exposure reduction in homes through using processed fuel. RECENT FINDINGS: Population health burden from solid fuel combustion-derived particulate air pollution has been estimated in several low- and middle-income countries...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Inhalation of airborne pollutants in the natural and built environment is ubiquitous; yet, exposures are different across a lifespan and unique to individuals. Here, we reviewed the connections between mental health outcomes from airborne pollutant exposures, the biological inflammatory mechanisms, and provide future directions for researchers and policy makers. The current state of knowledge is discussed on associations between mental health outcomes and Clean Air Act criteria pollutants, traffic-related air pollutants, pesticides, heavy metals, jet fuel, and burn pits...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Airway inflammation is a common biological response to many types of environmental exposures and can lead to increased nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in exhaled breath. In recent years, several studies have evaluated airway inflammation using fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) as a biomarker of exposures to a range of air pollutants. This systematic review aims to summarize the studies that collected personal-level air pollution data to assess the air pollution-induced FeNO responses and to determine if utilizing personal-level data resulted in an improved characterization of the relationship between air pollution exposures and FeNO compared to using only ambient air pollution exposure data...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Epigenetic changes can be highly influenced by environmental factors and have in turn been proposed to influence chronic disease. Being able to quantify to which extent epigenomic processes are mediators of the association between environmental exposures and diseases is of interest for epidemiologic research. In this review, we summarize the proposed mediation analysis methods with applications to epigenomic data. RECENT FINDINGS: The ultra-high dimensionality and high correlations that characterize omics data have hindered the precise quantification of mediated effects...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This scoping review aims to assess the impact of air pollution, traffic noise, heat, and green and blue space exposures on the physical and cognitive development of school-age children and adolescents. While existing evidence indicates adverse effects of transport-related exposures on their health, a comprehensive scoping review is necessary to consolidate findings on various urban environmental exposures' effects on children's development. RECENT FINDINGS: There is consistent evidence on how air pollution negatively affects children's cognitive and respiratory health and learning performance, increasing their susceptibility to diseases in their adult life...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Healthcare is a significant contributor of carbon emissions, which contribute to climate change. There has been an increased focus on the role healthcare should play in reducing emissions in recent years. This review, completed in September and October 2022, explored national commitments among 73 countries to reduce emissions from healthcare and the policies and delivery plans that exist to support their implementation. RECENT FINDINGS: Whilst some countries such as Norway, Columbia, and Australia are working to understand current emissions and develop plans to reduce them, few have published delivery plans for meeting national targets...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Through a systematic search of peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies, we reviewed the literature on the human health impacts of climate and ambient air pollution, focusing on recently published studies in China. Selected previous literature is discussed where relevant in tracing the origins. RECENT FINDINGS: Climate variables and air pollution have a complex interplay in affecting human health. The bulk of the literature we reviewed focuses on the air pollutants ozone and fine particulate matter and temperatures (including hot and cold extremes)...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Air pollution has been a serious environmental and public health issue worldwide, particularly in Asian countries. There have been significant increases in epidemiological studies on fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) and ozone pollution in East Asia, and an in-depth review of epidemiological evidence is urgent. Thus, we carried out a systematic review of the epidemiological research on PM2.5 and ozone pollution in East Asia released in recent years. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies have indicated that PM2...

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PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to assess the toxicological consequences of crude oil vapor (COV) exposure in the workplace through evaluation of the most current epidemiologic and laboratory-based studies in the literature. RECENT FINDINGS: Crude oil is a naturally occuring mixture of hydrocarbon deposits, inorganic and organic chemical compounds. Workers engaged in upstream processes of oil extraction are exposed to a number of risks and hazards, including getting crude oil on their skin or inhaling crude oil vapor...