Environmental Health Perspectives

Environmental Health Perspectives
Title	Environmental Health Perspectives
Discipline	Environmental health
Abbreviation	EHP
Publisher	National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Country	United States
History	1972–present
Frequency	Monthly

Contents

Environmental Health Perspectives is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research on environmental determinants of human health. It appears under the auspices of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and addresses intersections among policy, toxicology, epidemiology, exposure science, and risk assessment. Contributors have included investigators affiliated with institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, and universities like Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and University of California, Berkeley.

History

Environmental Health Perspectives was established in the early 1970s during a period of expanding attention to pollution and public health following events associated with the Love Canal contamination, the passage of the Clean Air Act, and the enactment of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Early editorial leadership drew on networks surrounding the National Toxicology Program and the Environmental Protection Agency, with editorial boards comprising researchers from institutions such as Yale University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over successive decades the journal aligned with shifts in regulatory science exemplified by reports from the National Research Council, the development of the Toxic Substances Control Act amendments, and international frameworks like the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The journal publishes original research, reviews, commentaries, and policy analyses on exposures to chemical, physical, and biological agents. Topics mapped in its pages include biomonitoring studies referencing cohorts such as the Framingham Heart Study and the Nurses' Health Study, mechanistic toxicology connected to findings from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. EPA, epidemiologic studies leveraging data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Global Burden of Disease Study, and exposure assessment methodologies paralleling work by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Case studies have engaged with incidents like the Exxon Valdez oil spill and industrial events such as the Bhopal disaster. Cross-cutting themes include environmental justice discussions involving communities identified with organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Editorial governance has included editors-in-chief affiliated with institutions such as Duke University, University of Washington, and George Washington University. The journal operates a peer review system drawing reviewers from academic departments at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Toronto, and research agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration. The process follows standards articulated by organizations like the Committee on Publication Ethics and employs conflict-of-interest policies comparable to those promulgated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Special-issue proposals and commissioned commentaries undergo editorial board evaluation with input from advisory committees that have included representatives from the World Health Organization and professional societies such as the Society of Toxicology.

Published monthly, the journal transitioned to a fully open-access model consistent with mandates from funders including the National Institutes of Health and international agencies like the European Commission. Its publisher, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, oversees production alongside partnerships with academic presses and indexing services such as PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science. Article types range from rapid communications to comprehensive systematic reviews adhering to protocols like those prescribed by the Cochrane Collaboration and reporting guidelines such as STROBE and PRISMA. The journal’s archive contains historical content from the 1970s through contemporary issues addressing emerging concerns identified by organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Health Organization.

Environmental Health Perspectives has been cited in policy reviews from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, regulatory deliberations under the Toxic Substances Control Act, and risk assessments by the European Chemicals Agency. Its published studies have informed court cases, administrative rulemaking, and public-health guidance issued by agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. The journal’s influence is reflected in citation metrics tracked by services like the Journal Citation Reports and usage statistics from repositories including PubMed Central; it has attracted commentary from stakeholders including advocacy groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and industry representatives associated with trade organizations like the American Chemistry Council.

Noteworthy contributions have included landmark epidemiologic reports on air pollution linking to cardiovascular outcomes referenced alongside work from the American Heart Association and the Framingham Heart Study, biomonitoring surveys compared with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and mechanistic studies on endocrine disruptors that informed deliberations by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health Organization. Special issues have focused on climate change and health aligned with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) paralleling regulatory reviews by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Chemicals Agency, and environmental justice features incorporating perspectives from the United Nations Environment Programme and grassroots organizations such as Greenpeace.

Category:Environmental health journals