Exploring the State of Environmental Health and its Intersection with Women’s Health 

By Monica Lefton, Communications Manager 

Seasonal allergies. Getting frostbite from being out in the cold for too long. Dehydration due to heat and high temperatures. 

There’s no denying our health is linked to the environment around us. This intersection is sometimes referred to as environmental health, a field of public health that focuses on the relationships between people and their environment to promote human health and well-being. As environments change – across seasons, through changing ecosystems, and through global warming – so, too, do the impacts of environmental health.  

There are countless private and public groups dedicated to the work of understanding and improving environmental health, with growing interest in this field. Within the federal government alone, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) works to make environmental health research responsive to individuals and translate environmental health science findings into knowledge that can inform public health; the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinates protection from environmental hazards; and the newly established Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) was established to address the impact of climate change on health and serves as a hub for climate change and health policy, programming, and analysis—and these are just a few.  

Each group has a varied focus on the intersection of health and environment. For example, OCCHE’s work acknowledges that environmental impacts in communities can differ greatly based on geography, race, ethnicity, gender, health status, and more. Disparities in environmental impact can create or greatly exacerbate health disparities: 

• Research has shown that heat stroke can put patients at 17% higher risk for cardiovascular complications. 
• Providers have seen a global increase in pediatric asthma by up to 64% in some urban areas due to air pollutants, largely due to human-made sources.  

Such disparities are greater for some groups, including women. Women’s health across the lifespan is intertwined with environmental health; women and girls are anticipated to “experience the greatest impacts of climate change,” as their health is often more impacted by environmental changes, UN Women writes. These impacts may start small but can lead to major health risks and adverse outcomes, affect their roles as caregivers, and influence generations to come: 

• 80% of people displaced by climate change are women 
• Women are more likely than men to be admitted to the hospital for smoke-related respiratory issues during wildfires 
• Pregnant women are more prone to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and extreme heat exposure in pregnancy is associated with low birth weight, preterm birth, and infant mortality 

Given the growing impact of the environment on women’s health and overall disease burden, the spaces of environmental health and women’s health are ripe for research and innovation that improve health outcomes for all. For example, researchers are currently investigating the impacts of environmental stressors—such as the chemicals, pollutants, and ingredients in everyday products—on pregnancy outcomes and overall health to better understand and address health risks in new parents and babies.

This April, for Earth Month and ahead of Earth Day on April 22, learn more about how different organizations are thinking about and approaching environmental health and where they see gaps and opportunities in environmental science 

Below, SWHR has provided links to various resources, tools, and information to a short collection of different public health and research entities and their work specifically on environmental health – and its intersection with women’s health. 

Federal Agencies and Their Approach to Environmental Health 

• National Center for Environmental Health: CDC’s Climate and Health Program 
• The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity: How climate change impacts human health 
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Children’s Environmental Health  

Nonprofit Organizations’ Work in Environmental Health 

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Addressing Climate Change 
• American Heart Association: 5 things to know this Earth Day about how the environment affects health 
• American Lung Association: Climate Change and Lung Health 
• American Public Health Association: Building an Understanding of Environmental Health 
• Black Women’s Health Imperative: Climate Crisis and Maternal Health 
• The National Health Council: Climate Change And Its Impact On Patient Health And The Health Care Ecosystem 

Academic Resources on Environmental Health 

• Columbia University: The Collaborative for Women’s Environmental Health 
• Harvard University’s Environmental Reproductive Justice Lab: Pregnancy Complications and Chronic Diseases 
• The Lancet: The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change