Environmental Risk Factors and Health: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses

Abstract

Overview

Environmental health is a critically expanding field, continuously refreshing the evidence base that connects environmental factors to human health outcomes. This umbrella review consolidates epidemiological findings from various meta-analyses to provide an updated synthesis of environmental risk factors.

Methods

• Comprehensive review of cohort, case-control, case-crossover, and time-series studies.
• Specific search using PubMed with both free text and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) related to risk factors and health outcomes.
• Focused on articles published in English, Spanish, and French, pertinent to human studies, excluding occupational and non-natural exposures.

Findings

• Identified 197 associations between 69 environmental exposures and 83 health outcomes across 103 publications.
• Main environmental risk factors included air pollution, environmental tobacco smoke, heavy metals, chemicals, and ambient temperature.
• Some exposures, such as radon and extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields, have been linked with serious diseases like lung cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Conclusion

Environmental exposures significantly impact health. This umbrella review offers a broad perspective on an evolving research area, emphasizing the necessity to integrate health-focused policies to enhance population health and address environmental risks thoroughly.