Curated Collections
Curated Collections gather previously published EHP content to help readers stay up to date on important topics and contemporary issues in environmental health. Articles are carefully selected by EHP's editors to include highly cited papers and other notable content, providing background and context behind new discoveries and emerging issues.
Wildfire Smoke Collection
November 2020
Over the coming century, both the number of wildfires and the intensity of the fires that occur are expected to increase with climate change. Epidemiological studies, including some of those included in this collection, indicate that wildfire smoke exposures are associated with health concerns such as respiratory problems, increased risk of cardiopulmonary hospitalization and death, and an elevated risk of certain adverse birth outcomes.
Environmental Racism Collection: Exposure and Health Inequities in Black Americans
July 2020
Environmental racism helps explain, in part, why Black Americans face higher rates of infant mortality as well as death from type 2 diabetes, heart disease, multiple cancers, homicide, and HIV, compared with White counterparts. Black Americans are also more likely to die younger overall. Yet this group also tends to be underrepresented in studies of many of the chronic diseases that affect them disproportionately.
2019 Journal Impact Factor Collection
June 2020
With this collection, we are pleased to present a selection of the papers that contributed the most to our new 8.38 Journal Impact FactorTM (JIF) and 10.08 5-Year Journal Impact Factor. Based on the 2020 Journal Citation ReportsTM (JCR), EHP now ranks 2 among 92 Toxicology journals; 6 among 193 Public, Environmental & Occupational Health journals; and 11 among 265 Environmental Sciences journals.
Mercury Collection
November 2019
The identification of mercury’s adverse health effects has led to measures to minimize further environmental contamination and human exposure. As with many metals, different spectra of effects are associated with the different forms of mercury. While the presence of mercury in the human population does not necessarily imply an adverse health effect, this may change with greater understanding of long-term effects of early exposure or effects following lifetime exposure.
Microbiome Collection
October 2019
The field of environmental health and toxicology is now beginning to appreciate just how crucial the microbiome is to understanding the host response to toxic events. The reports and reviews in this collection represent some of the first attempts to systematically evaluate what we currently know as well as to lay the groundwork for how we might go about investigating these interactions.
Environmental Health in Aging Collection
September 2019
The global percentage of individuals aged 60 years and older is expected to increase to 22% in 2050. Diseases predominantly of the elderly can have a substantial public health and economic burden. As we improve our understanding of how potentially modifiable environmental risk factors contribute to aging-related diseases, we may also better understand the etiology of these conditions and develop appropriate interventions.
Extreme Weather Collection
August 2019
In the past two decades, numerous studies have explored the impacts of heat and other weather extremes on human health. By improving our understanding of the risks of weather extremes, we can develop a richer evidence base for present-day public health planning and disaster response. We can also safeguard public health in the future, as climate change is expected to alter patterns in many extreme weather exposures.
2018 Journal Impact Factor Collection
July 2019
With this collection, we are pleased to present the papers that contributed the most to our new 8.05 Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and 9.99 5-Year Journal Impact Factor. Based on the 2019 Journal Citation Reports, EHP now ranks second among 93 Toxicology journals; fifth among 185 Public, Environmental & Occupational Health journals; and eighth among 250 Environmental Science journals.
Autism Spectrum Disorders Collection
June 2019
The “autistic conditions” described in the early literature were once thought to be quite rare. Over the past 70 years, prevalence estimates have varied considerably by case definition, study population, and surveillance methodology. The current diagnostic criteria appreciate the heterogeneity among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and the estimated prevalence among school-age children in the United States is approximately 1 in 59.
Noise Exposures Collection
May 2019
Environmental noise is a peculiar agent. You can’t see, smell, or taste it. But you certainly can hear it, and a growing body of evidence indicates that chronic noise exposure can have adverse effects on human health beyond auditory impairment. The observational and experimental studies reported in this collection explore a variety of health outcomes for which noise may one day be implicated as an important factor.
Indigenous Health Collection
April 2019
In the United States alone, an estimated 6.6 million people identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawai’ian, with affiliations to hundreds of federal and state recognized tribes. Indigenous peoples overall experience a disproportionate burden of several chronic diseases, compared with other racial and ethnic groups. Some of this burden is related to behaviors such as smoking, adoption of a poor Western diet, and physical inactivity.
PFAS Collection
February 2019
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are the largest identified complex group of environmental pollutants reported in the scientific literature. These chemicals have many uses in the marketplace. However, their strong carbon–fluorine bonds keep them from degrading, and they bind to blood proteins, hindering their elimination from the body. PFAS exposure may occur through oral, inhalation, and dermal routes.
Arsenic Collection
January 2019
Arsenic is a major toxicant and carcinogen affecting multiple organs and systems. Millions of people worldwide, including 4 million in the United States, drink water that exceeds the World Health Organization guideline and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standard for arsenic. Many more millions around the world are exposed to lower levels through drinking water and food.
Preterm Birth Collection
November 2018
November is Prematurity Awareness Month, while November 17 is recognized as World Prematurity Day. These events call attention to preterm birth and highlight what can be done to ensure babies are born at full term. To mark these occasions, we compiled articles related to preterm birth from the past three years. We have also included a selection of highly cited articles from further back in our archive.
