Uncovering evidence: Links between Environmental contaminants and Health disparities in women

Over the years, industrial mishaps and military activities have resulted in inadvertent, large-scale, high-dose human exposure to endocrine-disrupting environmental pollutants. These historical experiences, together with laboratory investigations, imply that toxicants like dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls have a deleterious impact on the reproductive system and may affect the development of gynaecologic illnesses. Although high-level exposure to a single toxicant is uncommon, individuals in industrialised nations are constantly exposed to a complex mixture of artificial and naturally occurring endocrine disruptors, such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals. 

We did a literature analysis to uncover possible links between toxicant exposure and racial inequalities in women’s health since minorities are more likely to reside in locations with documented environmental pollution. The body burden of environmental contaminants, especially when combined with inherent genetic variations, appears to contribute to previously observed racial disparities in women’s health conditions such as breast cancer, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine fibroids, and premature birth, according to evidence in the literature.