Journal of Health and Pollution: Fostering Equity in Access to Environmental Health Research Evidence

Vol. 131, No. 10 EditorialOpen AccessJournal of Health and Pollution: Fostering Equity in Access to Environmental Health Research Evidence Kalpana Balakrishnan and Joel D. Kaufman Kalpana Balakrishnan Address correspondence to Kalpana Balakrishnan. Email: E-mail Address: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5905-1801 Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India Search for more papers by this author and Joel D. Kaufman Environmental Health Perspectives, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, Medicine, and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA Search for more papers by this author Published:12 October 2023CID: 101001https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14069AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) has long advocated for global environmental health research and knowledge exchange. This has included the Chinese edition of EHP (published 2001–2020),1 participation in the African Journal Partnership Program since its inception in 20032 (working with Mali Médical and Annales Africaines de Médecine), and contributions of translated content to multiple Latin-American journals (Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, Ciencia y Trabajo, and Salud Pública de México), as well as the English-language Chinese Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine.3 EHP Publishing is now shifting its global focus from dissemination of information to other countries to actively fostering the growth of environmental health science research in resource-constrained settings.1 In this way, we aim to contribute to efforts to close both the evidence and global publishing gaps.We are excited to formally relaunch the Journal of Health and Pollution (JHP), previously published by Pure Earth,4 as a member of the EHP Publishing program. JHP is at the heart of the program’s global environmental health engagement framework. The journal aims to publish high-quality original research articles, systematic and scoping reviews, commentaries, and case reports that address environmental health in regions and communities with less-developed environmental health research infrastructures.Pollution is estimated to be responsible for nearly 9 million deaths each year globally, with 90% of the burden being borne by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).5,6 These estimates are based on data from and methods used by the Global Burden of Disease study, and they likely do not capture the true burden given that they include only a handful of environmental risks, including air pollution, lead, unsafe water and sanitation, and select occupational risks.6–8 The disproportionate burden of environmental and occupational health challenges in LMICs, frequently coupled with insufficient resources dedicated to the conduct and dissemination of high-quality research,9 puts these countries at a tremendous disadvantage to push for evidence-based actions to address the disease burden. Understanding the exposure profiles and associated health effects in these settings may offer unprecedented opportunities to improve the well-being of vulnerable populations globally.10JHP is a global journal but will serve to showcase work by researchers and practitioners from lower-resource areas on topics of particular importance to these communities. To be eligible for submission, the primary and corresponding authors of a manuscript must have a primary affiliation or reside in an area that historically has been underresourced for the conduct of environmental health research. This includes the Global South as well as Indigenous communities worldwide. The World Bank country classifications11 will serve as JHP’s primary benchmark to determine author eligibility, although we recognize these are imperfect indicators of environmental health research infrastructure. The journal will, however, consider high-quality submissions from all evidence-scant regions, regardless of economic status.JHP, like EHP, is dedicated to supporting equitable research partnerships and will keep a keen eye out to prohibit publication of “helicopter research.” We strongly encourage publications stemming from partnerships that foster immersive engagement of local researchers in the conceptualization and execution of studies as well as the dissemination of findings. Adherence to the applicable principles laid forth in the TRUST Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships12 will be required for all submissions made to JHP.Finally, in an era when journal subscriptions and article processing charges pose a major barrier for LMIC researchers to submit their work,13JHP will operate as a Diamond Open Access journal, with no costs to authors or readers. Furthermore, our core team of deputy editors consists of a diverse pool of eminent environmental health scientists based in LMICs, who can serve as a guides and mentors for researchers affiliated with lower-resource institutions. EHP Publishing will supply the manuscript submission and handling infrastructure. In addition, JHP authors will be eligible for developmental editing assistance and EHP Publishing’s Early Career Researcher Initiative, and individuals who review submissions for the journal may be considered for inclusion on the EHP Editorial Review Board. We are optimistic that JHP, by joining EHP as a sister journal under the EHP Publishing banner, is poised to catalyze environmental health research in lower-resource settings and encourage equity and integrity in scholarship.As former EHP Editor-in Chief Thomas Goel once wrote,14 “There is a moral imperative: I consider access to information to facilitate adequate health care a human right. … In the long term, policy makers would be able to use knowledge-based decision making in formulating laws to help improve public health in their countries.” By providing an accessible platform for information, JHP could potentially transform the environmental health discourse in LMICs, lending a credible voice to LMIC researchers, with far-reaching benefits for the most disadvantaged populations.References1. Hu H, Kaufman JD. 2021. A new era for EHP’s International Program. Environ Health Perspect 129(1):011001, PMID: 33400597, 10.1289/EHP8737. Link, Google Scholar2. Tillett T. 2005. Global collaboration gives greater voice to African journals. Environ Health Perspect 113(7):A452–A454, 10.1289/ehp.113-a452. Link, Google Scholar3. Tilson HA. 2008. Recent changes at Environmental Health Perspectives. Environ Health Perspect 116(5):A192, 10.1289/ehp.11568. Link, Google Scholar4. EHP (Environmental Health Perspectives). 2022. EHP welcomes new global journal to publishing portfolio. [Press release.] 7 July 2023. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/do/10.5555/acec939a-85dd-413b-93ab-322dfcb2e557/full/ [accessed 26 September 2023]. Google Scholar5. Fuller R, Landrigan PJ, Balakrishnan K, Bathan G, Bose-O’Reilly S, Brauer M, et al.2022. Pollution and health: a progress update. Lancet Planet Health 6(6):e535–e547, PMID: 35594895, 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00090-0. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar6. GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators. 2020. Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet 396(10258):1223–1249, PMID: 33069327, 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30752-2. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar7. Shaffer RM, Sellers SP, Baker MG, de Buen Kalman R, Frostad J, Suter MK, et al.2019. Improving and expanding estimates of the global burden of disease due to environmental health risk factors. Environ Health Perspect 127(10):105001, PMID: 31626566, 10.1289/EHP5496. Link, Google Scholar8. GBD 2016 Occupational Risk Factors Collaborators. 2020. Global and regional burden of disease and injury in 2016 arising from occupational exposures: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Occup Environ Med 77(3):133–141, PMID: 32054817, 10.1136/oemed-2019-106008. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar9. Shumba CS, Lusambili AM. 2021. Not enough traction: barriers that aspiring researchers from low- and middle-income countries face in global health research. J Glob Health Econ Policy 1:e2021002, 10.52872/001c.25802. Crossref, Google Scholar10. Schwartz DA, Martin WJ2006. Focusing on global environmental health. Environ Health Perspect 114(11):A630, PMID: 17107828, 10.1289/ehp.114-1665393. Link, Google Scholar11. World Bank. 2023. World Bank Country and Lending Groups. [Website.] https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups [accessed 26 September 2023]. Google Scholar12. TRUST. 2018. The TRUST Code: A Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships. https://www.globalcodeofconduct.org/ [accessed 26 September 2023]. Google Scholar13. Klebel T, Ross-Hellauer T. 2023. The APC-barrier and its effect on stratification in open access publishing. Quant Sci Stud 4(1):22–43, 10.1162/qss_a_00245. Crossref, Google Scholar14. Goehl TJ. 2007. Access denied. Environ Health Perspect 115(10):A482–A483, 10.1289/ehp.10729. Link, Google ScholarThe authors declare they have no competing interests to disclose.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 131, No. 10 October 2023Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Manuscript received28 September 2023Manuscript accepted2 October 2023Originally published12 October 2023 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. 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