Letter from the New Editor-in-Chief
My Perspective on Environmental Health Perspectives
In an era marked by skyrocketing chronic diseases and escalating climate concerns, the field of environmental health has taken on unprecedented importance.
Introduction: Why Environmental Health Matters More Than Ever
In an era marked by skyrocketing chronic diseases and escalating climate concerns, the field of environmental health has taken on unprecedented importance. Research now reveals that environmental factors are linked to a substantial portion of the global disease burden, from neurodevelopmental disorders in children to cancer, diabetes, and respiratory illnesses in adults 6 . As the new Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Health Perspectives, I believe understanding these connections is not merely academic—it is essential for crafting policies that save lives and reduce healthcare costs.
The timing of this leadership transition coincides with both challenge and opportunity. While environmental health research faces funding uncertainties, its practical impacts demonstrate remarkable returns: every dollar invested can yield up to $39 in benefits through disease prevention 6 .
This article will explore the foundational theories, groundbreaking research, and essential tools that define our field, with particular focus on how community-engaged science is revolutionizing environmental justice.
Global disease burden linked to environmental factors
Return on investment for environmental health research
Pollution sources in fenceline communities like Curtis Bay
The Foundations: Environmental Health Theory Through Time
From Nightingale to Modern Frameworks
The concept that our environment shapes health is not new. Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory, developed during the Crimean War, emphasized that factors like ventilation, cleanliness, light, and warm food could support the body's natural healing processes 3 . While medical science has evolved dramatically since her time, this fundamental insight remains valid: environmental conditions profoundly influence human health outcomes.
Modern environmental health has moved beyond Nightingale's cause-effect approach to embrace more complex models that account for the multifaceted interactions between environmental hazards and human populations. Today's frameworks recognize three critical components:
The Data Challenge
Linking environmental factors to specific health outcomes presents significant methodological challenges. Each type of data—hazard, exposure, and health outcome—comes with limitations that researchers must creatively overcome:
Hazard Data Limitations
Often fails to predict health impacts because environmental guidelines don't account for all contaminants or their synergistic effects 8
Exposure Data Variability
Varies dramatically based on individual factors like metabolism, behavior, and baseline health status 8
Health Outcome Data Gaps
Collected at population levels may not reflect individual disease experiences 8
Despite these challenges, innovative statistical methods and data linkage approaches are helping researchers build compelling evidence for environmental causes of disease.
In-Depth Look: A Community-Driven Air Pollution Study
The Experiment That Empowered a Community
When an explosion at a coal terminal in Baltimore's Curtis Bay neighborhood in December 2021 released yet another plume of pollution into a community already overburdened by industrial facilities, residents decided they needed more than temporary relief—they needed evidence. This incident triggered the formation of a unique community-academic partnership that designed and implemented an innovative air monitoring network to address longstanding environmental justice concerns 9 .
Industrial facilities located near residential areas create "fenceline communities" with disproportionate pollution exposure.
Curtis Bay represents what environmental justice advocates call a "fenceline community"—a residential area located directly adjacent to industrial activity. With 70 registered sources of stationary air pollution and higher rates of heart disease and all types of cancer than the rest of Baltimore, residents had long complained of coal dust infiltrating their homes and strong odors that made their eyes water 9 .
Yet the nearest official Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) air sensors were located 10 miles away—too distant to capture the hyper-local pollution burden residents experienced daily.
Methodology: A Step-By-Step Approach to Community Science
The partnership between the South Baltimore Community Land Trust, the Community of Curtis Bay Association, and researchers from Johns Hopkins University and University of California at Davis established a comprehensive air monitoring strategy:
Strategic Sensor Placement
The team installed 10 multi-pollutant air sensors throughout Curtis Bay to measure pollutants at the neighborhood level, providing data that reflected residents' actual exposure 9 .
Visual Documentation
Two cameras were positioned to monitor activity at the coal terminal, documenting operations like ships docking and trains transporting coal 9 .
Temporal Linking
Researchers correlated timestamps of industrial activities with air sensor data to establish connections between specific operations and pollution spikes 9 .
Regulatory Engagement
The partnership facilitated dialogue between community members and MDE, building trust and working toward regulatory solutions 9 .
Capacity Building
The team trained community members and local students in operating the monitoring network and analyzing data, ensuring long-term sustainability 9 .
Results and Analysis: Evidence for Change
The monitoring network produced compelling evidence validating residents' long-held concerns. During an industrial fire that residents reported near their homes, the sensors detected simultaneous spikes in black carbon, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide 9 . This real-time data provided concrete evidence linking industrial incidents to air quality deterioration.
Air Quality Measurements in Different Community Zones
| Location Type | Particulate Matter (PM2.5 μg/m³) | Black Carbon (μg/m³) | Nitrogen Dioxide (ppb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near Coal Terminal | 45.2 | 3.8 | 42.1 |
| Residential Area | 28.7 | 1.9 | 31.5 |
| School Zone | 25.3 | 1.2 | 28.9 |
| Background (MDE Sensor) | 12.1 | 0.6 | 14.3 |
Table 1: Illustrative air quality measurements showing pollution variations across different community zones in Curtis Bay.
Further research from the partnership confirmed that coal dust was present in residential areas, demonstrating that pollution wasn't contained within industrial boundaries 9 . The mobile air pollution measurement strategy also documented the cumulative impacts of both stationary and mobile air pollution sources, addressing community concerns about the full spectrum of exposures they faced daily.
Perhaps most significantly, the project facilitated a transformation in the relationship between the Curtis Bay community and regulatory agencies. Where previous interactions had been characterized by distrust, the partnership established collaborative dialogue between residents, scientists, and MDE officials 9 . The agency now provides technical support for maintaining air monitoring through an EPA grant, creating a pathway for community concerns to potentially influence future industrial permitting decisions.
The Scientist's Toolkit: Essential Research Reagent Solutions
Environmental health research relies on specialized reagents and materials to detect, measure, and analyze contaminants and their biological effects. The table below highlights key research reagents used in the field:
Essential Research Reagents in Environmental Health Sciences
| Reagent Type | Primary Applications | Research Significance |
|---|---|---|
| PFAS Analysis Kits | Detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water, soil, and biological samples | Enabled research linking PFAS to cancer and reduced fertility; informed EPA drinking water regulations 6 |
| Microplastic Detection Reagents | Identifying and quantifying plastic particles in tissues, water, and consumer products | Supported findings of microplastics in human brains and testes; revealed connections to dementia and infertility 6 |
| Air Pollution Sensors | Measuring particulate matter, black carbon, nitrogen oxides, and other airborne contaminants | Allowed community-level monitoring demonstrating disproportionate exposure in environmental justice communities 9 |
| Biological Sample Collection Kits | Analyzing contaminants in urine, blood, saliva, and other human matrices | Enabled biomonitoring studies linking chemical exposures to body burden and health effects 8 |
| PCR Reagents for Pathogen Detection | Identifying norovirus, rotavirus, and other pathogens in water, food, and environmental samples | Critical for tracking waterborne disease outbreaks and assessing water safety |
Table 2: Essential research reagents and their applications in environmental health sciences.
Advanced reagents have enabled remarkable discoveries in environmental health. For instance, researchers using sophisticated microplastic detection methods found that brain tissue from people diagnosed with dementia had up to 10 times more plastic than other brains 6 . Similarly, specialized PFAS analysis techniques allowed scientists to demonstrate connections between these "forever chemicals" and serious health outcomes, ultimately leading to regulatory action to protect drinking water 6 .
The ongoing development of more sensitive, specific, and accessible research reagents will continue to drive the field forward, potentially revealing connections between environmental exposures and health impacts that we can only speculate about today.
Conclusion: Looking Forward at Environmental Health Perspectives
As I assume leadership of Environmental Health Perspectives, I am guided by both the pressing challenges and extraordinary opportunities in our field. We stand at a pivotal moment when environmental health research has never been more critical—or more threatened. The recent pause in manuscript acceptance at our own journal, driven by resource constraints and broader shifts in research support, underscores the precarious position of scientific publishing in this domain 1 .
Yet, I remain profoundly optimistic. The creative approaches of scientists, communities, and policymakers continue to yield breakthroughs that protect public health.
From communities like Curtis Bay taking ownership of air monitoring to global initiatives addressing PFAS and plastic pollution, the field demonstrates remarkable resilience and innovation.
As we move forward, Environmental Health Perspectives will continue to prioritize research that bridges the laboratory and the community, that connects environmental exposures to health outcomes, and that informs policies protecting the most vulnerable among us. The challenges are significant, but the evidence is clear: investing in environmental health research isn't merely an academic exercise—it's a fundamental commitment to building a healthier, more equitable future for all.
This article was adapted from a perspective by the incoming Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Health Perspectives. For more information on environmental health research and community partnerships, visit the NIEHS website and explore the Partnerships for Environmental Public Health program 9 .