In recent years, the effect of environmental events on human health has been receiving global attention. Biological, physical, and chemical environmental risk factors from various sources of exposure (air, water, land, and organisms) influence people's health. These environmental stressors increase the risk of many chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In addition, the World Health Organization reports that 99% of the world’s population is exposed to poor air quality, and about 7 million deaths are attributed to air pollution yearly.
To further complicate this scenario, climate change is resulting in an alteration on the degree of human exposure to these environmental stressors and in their impact on population health. For example, climate change has already led to extreme heatwaves, bushfires, and rising sea levels, causing coastal flooding and tropical cyclones. The 6th assessment report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that global temperature over the next 20 years is expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of warming, increasing heat-related morbidity and mortality.
Understanding the environmental risks to health is essential for disease and injury prevention. The magnitude and the impact of environmental stressors on human health in different contexts, populations, and geographical regions are not fully understood. Evidence suggests that the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme weather events such as bushfires, flooding, storms, cyclones, and heat waves will increase. These adverse events and other environmental risk factors pose threats to human health. Therefore, this Research Topic is timely and will provide critical information and understanding of the degree to which environmental stressors affect human health.
The general scope of this Research Topic will cover all aspects related to physical and chemical environmental stressors, including, but not limited to, the quantitative health impact assessment of extreme weather events, air pollution, floods, bushfires (bushfire smoke, dust-storms), temperature (heatwaves), and environmental noise on human health (mortality, incidence of infectious and non-infectious diseases). In addition, studies from regions that have been affected by environmental risk factors due to recent climate-driven changes are welcome. Other studies on statistical/mathematical methodological approaches (e.g. time series regression) to environmental epidemiology are also desirable. The Research Topic could be original research, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, methods, review, perspective, data report, policy brief, brief research report, and general commentary on these thematic areas.
We would like to acknowledge Dr. Anton Pak, The University of Queensland, who will act as a coordinator for the Research Topic.
In recent years, the effect of environmental events on human health has been receiving global attention. Biological, physical, and chemical environmental risk factors from various sources of exposure (air, water, land, and organisms) influence people's health. These environmental stressors increase the risk of many chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In addition, the World Health Organization reports that 99% of the world’s population is exposed to poor air quality, and about 7 million deaths are attributed to air pollution yearly.
To further complicate this scenario, climate change is resulting in an alteration on the degree of human exposure to these environmental stressors and in their impact on population health. For example, climate change has already led to extreme heatwaves, bushfires, and rising sea levels, causing coastal flooding and tropical cyclones. The 6th assessment report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that global temperature over the next 20 years is expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of warming, increasing heat-related morbidity and mortality.
Understanding the environmental risks to health is essential for disease and injury prevention. The magnitude and the impact of environmental stressors on human health in different contexts, populations, and geographical regions are not fully understood. Evidence suggests that the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme weather events such as bushfires, flooding, storms, cyclones, and heat waves will increase. These adverse events and other environmental risk factors pose threats to human health. Therefore, this Research Topic is timely and will provide critical information and understanding of the degree to which environmental stressors affect human health.
The general scope of this Research Topic will cover all aspects related to physical and chemical environmental stressors, including, but not limited to, the quantitative health impact assessment of extreme weather events, air pollution, floods, bushfires (bushfire smoke, dust-storms), temperature (heatwaves), and environmental noise on human health (mortality, incidence of infectious and non-infectious diseases). In addition, studies from regions that have been affected by environmental risk factors due to recent climate-driven changes are welcome. Other studies on statistical/mathematical methodological approaches (e.g. time series regression) to environmental epidemiology are also desirable. The Research Topic could be original research, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, methods, review, perspective, data report, policy brief, brief research report, and general commentary on these thematic areas.
We would like to acknowledge Dr. Anton Pak, The University of Queensland, who will act as a coordinator for the Research Topic.