CHE follows scientific research on any health concern linked to environmental contributors, which means everything besides hereditary factors that can impact health. We include social determinants of health under this umbrella, recognizing that poverty and other social stressors—along with chemical exposures, radiation and other factors—are all part of the environment in which we are born, grow and live.
The health outcomes listed below are those that CHE has focused on over the years due to the weight of the scientific evidence, organizational leadership in a particular sector and/or the scale of the public health impact. When you click on any one of these diseases or disabilities, you gain access to multiple resources that CHE provides as well as links to relevant materials on other key sites.
Environmental exposures play a significant role in both the development of asthma and as triggers of asthma attacks.
About one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect, and birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality in the US.
Research shows that exposures to carcinogenic chemicals are an important driver of rising cancer rates among young people.
A wide variety of environmental exposures can increase risk of cardiovascular disease.
Diabetes is a large and growing public-health concern, with rates of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes climbing worldwide.
Evidence indicates that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is contributing to increased infertility rates.
Research shows environmental exposures during pregnancy have an important influence on brain development.
Growing evidence shows that environmental exposures are a key driver of rising rates of obesity worldwide.
Chemical exposures during pregnancy have been linked with lifelong consequences for maternal and child health.
You may also want to peruse our Toxicant and Disease Database. It is searchable by disease/disabilities and summarizes the state of evidence about links between hundreds of toxicants and dozens of diseases, including many not listed here.
You will also find links to other databases that have other useful resources on chemicals that can impact human development and lifelong health.
CHE invites comments through the comment form on our Contact page.