Research for a healthier world

New research shows how access to natural areas in cities can improve human health by supporting physical activity.

It is often not rising seas, but sinking land due to human activities that puts coastal populations most at risk.

A study of air pollution in U.S. homes reveals how much gas and propane stoves increase exposure to nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to childhood asthma. 

A new study demonstrates a pathway to address pollution in South Asia from brick kilns, which are among the region’s largest sources of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

A new study reveals social factors that increase the risk of dying from air pollution and finds stark racial disparities.

Stanford researchers found that cooking with gas stoves can raise indoor levels of the carcinogen benzene above those found in secondhand smoke.

Efforts to prevent human exposure to asbestos may be mobilizing the cancer-causing mineral so that it can reach water supplies, based on new findings about how the fibers move through soil.

Some spice processors in Bangladesh use an industrial lead chromate pigment to imbue turmeric with a bright yellow color prized for curries and other traditional dishes, elevating blood lead levels in Bangladeshis.

Related: Health experts push for the elimination of a remarkably harmful toxin

Research combining future climate conditions and arsenic-induced soil stresses predicts rice yields could decline about 40 percent by 2100, a loss that would impact about 2 billion people dependent on the global crop.

Stanford researchers have developed an AI model for predicting dangerous particle pollution to help track the American West’s rapidly worsening wildfire smoke. The detailed results show millions of Americans are routinely exposed to pollution at levels rarely seen just a decade ago.

Related: How much does wildfire smoke influence air quality trends?

New research from Stanford University shows wildfires can transform a natural element in soils into a cancer-causing and readily airborne metal known as chromium 6.

Related: Understanding how wildfires change soil could aid recovery

Smoke from wildfires may have contributed to thousands of additional premature births in California between 2007 and 2012. The findings underscore the value of reducing the risk of big, extreme wildfires and suggest pregnant people should avoid very smoky air.

Related: Stanford researchers offer practical tips to mitigate harm from wildfire smoke

Environmental economist Marshall Burke explains his research on the social and economic impacts of environmental change.

Influenza or flu virus remains infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days, according to a new Stanford study.

Related: Could the avian flu be our next pandemic threat?

Pioneering epidemiology project WastewaterSCAN has added parainfluenza, rotavirus, adenovirus group F, enterovirus D68, Candida auris, and hepatitis A to the list of infectious diseases it can monitor for public health. Its monitoring roster already included COVID-19, RSV, Mpox, influenza A and B, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and norovirus.

Related: Using wastewater as a disease early warning tool

With the risk of mosquito-borne disease expected to grow with climate change, a new study by Stanford researchers and their Kenyan colleagues sheds light on the factors that put communities at risk for these illnesses – including the presence of trash.

Related: Investigating mosquito-borne diseases has led to an unlikely culprit: plastic trash

Stanford zooarchaeologist Krish Seetah explains a new modeling approach to study the impacts of malaria and other diseases on society.

New research shows treated wastewater can be more dependable and less toxic than common tap water sources including rivers and groundwater.

A team of Stanford scholars is developing a way to make wastewater drinkable while also recovering valuable products, like fertilizer components.

New Stanford research finds installing piped water in rural Zambian homes frees up time in the daily lives of women and girls, while also promoting economic growth and food security – making an argument for piped water infrastructure investments across rural, low-income areas.

Civil and environmental engineer Khalid Osman explains his research on social sensors of water quality.

American beaver populations are booming in the western United States as conditions grow hotter and drier. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts.

U.S. tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, indirectly cause thousands of deaths for nearly 15 years after a storm. Understanding why could help minimize future deaths from hazards fueled by climate change.

Years after Hurricane Katrina altered his life’s course, Elliott White Jr. set out to understand what drives coastal wetland loss as a way to help lessen harm from future climate impacts for vulnerable coastal communities.

Related project: Increasing disaster preparedness and risk communication equity through a community-centered approach

Extreme heat threatens the health of vulnerable populations such as children, laborers, and the elderly. A Stanford pediatrician, emergency medicine doctor, and professor of Earth system science discuss how we can best adapt and build resilience – particularly for those populations and communities that are most vulnerable.

By comparing historical temperature and suicide data, researchers found a strong correlation between warm weather and increased suicides.