ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The twin pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism during 2020 have forced a conversation across many segments of our society, including the environmental health sciences (EHS) research community. We have seen the proliferation of statements of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and commitments to fight racism and health inequities from academia, nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and private corporations. Actions must now arise from these promises. As public health and EHS scientists, we must examine the systems that produce and perpetuate inequities in exposure to environmental pollutants and associated health effects. OBJECTIVES: We outline five recommendations the EHS research community can implement to confront racism and move our science forward for eliminating racial inequities in environmental health. DISCUSSION: Race is best considered a political label that promotes inequality. Thus, we should be wary of equating race with biology. Further, EHS researchers should seriously consider racism as a plausible explanation of racial disparities in health and consider structural racism as a factor in environmental health risk/impact assessments, as well as multiple explanations for racial differences in environmental exposures and health outcomes. Last, the EHS research community should develop metrics to measure racism and a set of guidelines on the use and interpretation of race and ethnicity within the environmental sciences. Numerous guidelines exist in other disciplines that can serve as models. By taking action on each of these recommendations, we can make significant progress toward eliminating racial disparities. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8186.
Subject(s)
Environmental Health , Racism , COVID-19/ethnology , Environmental Health/organization & administration , Health Status Disparities , Humans , Racial Groups/statistics & numerical data , Racism/prevention & controlSubject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Emergencies/epidemiology , Health Equity/organization & administration , Public Health/legislation & jurisprudence , Animals , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/psychology , Child , Disaster Planning/methods , Environmental Health/organization & administration , Health Care Reform/legislation & jurisprudence , Health Equity/economics , Health Equity/ethics , Humans , Information Dissemination/ethics , Information Dissemination/legislation & jurisprudence , International Cooperation/legislation & jurisprudence , Pandemics/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , World Health Organization/organization & administration , Zoonoses/prevention & controlABSTRACT
In the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the links between poor hygiene, unclean environments and human health cannot be overemphasised, particularly in South Africa with its high incidence of infectious diseases and overburdened health system. One very controllable factor that is often overlooked is the poor disposal of litter and waste management and its adverse effects on public health. By wearing masks, regular handwashing and sanitising, as well as making sure that neighbourhoods and public spaces are clean and safe, the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases can be prevented.