Monday, June 22, 2026

public health

Environmental ScienceHuman Exposure and Public HealthSustainabililty
Adelaide Ellerbeck

Silent Sacrifice: Communities Paying the Price for Green Technology

Cobalt is an essential mineral for lithium ion batteries which are used in everyday technologies from electric vehicles to smart phones. Most of the world’s cobalt comes from the Dominican Republic of Congo which has extensive mining operations that contribute to environmental degradation. Artisanal miners are used and often exploited for their labour which exacerbate pollution by bringing it into urban environments. Local communities end up suffering from health issues because of this pollution.

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EcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Andrea Valcarcel

Microplastics In Our Fish: How Fish Food Is Affecting Our Food Supply and Our Health

Microplastics are small plastic particles ranging in size from 1μm (the size of a human hair) to 5mm (the size of a pencil-top eraser) that don’t dissolve in water and are usually fragmented from larger pieces of plastics. That sounds like something that should never end up on our plates, right? Well, researchers have found that these small plastics have, unfortunately, found their way into our food chain.

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Animal behaviorCase StudiesEnvironmental ScienceHuman Exposure and Public HealthScience through time
Cypress Novick

Freezing Frogs Help Preserve Human Organs for Transplant

Primary Source: Al-Attar R, Storey KB. Lessons from nature: Leveraging the freeze-tolerant wood frog as a model to improve organ

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An image of a small glass dish held between a person's thumb and index finger, containing various small plastic debris collected from house dust.
EcosystemsEnvironmental ScienceHuman Exposure and Public HealthToxicology
Cypress Novick

Here, There, and Everywhere: the Plastic Particles Around Us All

Source: Yujia Xiang, Li Jiang, Yaoyu Zhou, Zirui Luo, Dan Zhi, Jian Yang, Su Shiung Lam, Microplastics and environmental pollutants:

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A row of atlantic horseshoe crabs strapped to a table while needles siphon blood into glass containers below each individual crab.
Environmental ScienceHuman Exposure and Public Health
Cypress Novick

The Horseshoe Crab Has Saved Our Lives. Can We Return the Favor?

While threats continue to harm the historic population of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs, new research into the health stressors they face may help mitigate human contribution to their decline.

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Environmental ScienceHuman Exposure and Public Health
Bianca Ross

COVID-19 Watch: Wastewater Edition

The COVID-19 global pandemic has changed the world as we know it. As a society, this pathogenic virus presents challenges not only in preventing its spread and treating its victims, but also in monitoring its growth and/or decline throughout the population. In this study, researchers discuss utilizing wastewater as a possible pathway for tracking the presence/evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen in residential areas.

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Human Exposure and Public Health
Kristina Blank

How Does Wildfire Smoke Impact Mortality in Washington State?

Wildfire smoke contains harmful compounds known to negatively impact human health. New research suggests wildfire smoke exposure could contribute to an increased number of deaths in Washington State, and raises interesting questions about public health as climate change threatens to increase the size, frequency, intensity, and duration of wildfires in the state.

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CitiesHuman Exposure and Public Health
Connor Rosenblatt

A Walk in the Park is Better with Birds

Green spaces in cities do wonders for our health, but what types of green spaces are best? A recent study found that people tend to experience greater happiness in parks with a high diversity of bird species. This helps inform city planners that when designing parks, trying to maximize bird life should be a high priority.

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CitiesHuman Exposure and Public Health
Munim Deen

The Role of the Built Environment in COVID-19 Transmission

We are in the midst of a true pandemic, with COVID-19 cases and deaths around the globe. Recent research, still in progress, sheds light in the various ways the built environment can contribute to COVID-19 transmission.

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