Environmental Health Factors, Chronic Diseases, and Pandemic Resilience

To support more effective health policy and pandemic preparedness, this project examined how environmental health factors intersect with chronic disease and influence pandemic resilience. The client sought evidence to clarify how exposures to contaminants in air, water, and soil contribute to the environmental burden of disease in Canada and exacerbate vulnerability to infectious disease outcomes, including COVID-19.

The objective was to consolidate scientific evidence on the health impacts of environmental determinants—such as chemical exposures and poor environmental quality—and how these may increase susceptibility to diseases like COVID-19, especially among marginalized populations. The client also aimed to explore how these environmental factors relate to long-term health resilience and to identify actionable strategies for recovery and prevention in future public health crises.

Work involved a rapid scoping review of literature from the past two decades, emphasizing evidence relevant to Canada while allowing for contextual insights from jurisdictions like the US, EU, and Australia. The review addressed several key questions: the current environmental burden of disease; the role of comorbidities in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2; strategies for reducing environmental risk over time; integration of environmental determinants into population health approaches; and the compounding impact of social inequities.

The final output was a comprehensive report structured around these questions, supported by a high-level summary document featuring graphical elements to improve readability. The project was designed to support Health Canada’s efforts to prioritize and implement environmental health actions that promote recovery and build long-term resilience in Canada’s public health systems.