WPHES Journal Peer-Reviewed Research in Health, Environment & Policy

WPHES Journal

Peer-Reviewed Research in Health, Environment & Policy

Latest Articles

Undetected and Unregulated: The Case for Federal Environmental Health Standards in American Hospital Systems
Health Policy

Undetected and Unregulated: The Case for Federal Environmental Health Standards in American Hospital Systems

American healthcare facilities remain among the most environmentally complex workplaces in the country, yet no unified federal framework mandates systematic detection and mitigation of occupational and environmental health hazards within them. Drawing on comparative evidence from European hospital systems, this analysis argues that the current patchwork of voluntary guidelines and state-level regulations is structurally inadequate to protect both healthcare workers and patients. A consolidated f
Zip Codes as Diagnoses: How Non-Health Policies Drive Chronic Disease Across American Communities
Environmental Health

Zip Codes as Diagnoses: How Non-Health Policies Drive Chronic Disease Across American Communities

Chronic disease in America is frequently treated as a medical problem requiring medical solutions, yet a growing body of peer-reviewed evidence demonstrates that its root causes lie substantially outside the healthcare system—in housing codes, food access infrastructure, transportation networks, and the architecture of economic inequality. This analysis examines case studies in which policy interventions far removed from clinical medicine produced measurable reductions in disease burden, and arg
Invisible Contaminants, Absent Regulations: Confronting the Microplastics Threat in US Drinking Water
Environmental Health

Invisible Contaminants, Absent Regulations: Confronting the Microplastics Threat in US Drinking Water

Mounting scientific evidence confirms that microplastics are pervasive in American municipal and private water supplies, yet no binding federal regulatory standard exists to limit their presence. This analysis examines the widening chasm between detection science and regulatory action at the US Environmental Protection Agency, draws instructive comparisons with European legislative frameworks, and advances a set of evidence-grounded policy recommendations for closing this gap before irreversible
Heat, Labor, and a Half-Century of Regulatory Inertia: Reforming US Worker Protections in a Warming Climate
Health Policy

Heat, Labor, and a Half-Century of Regulatory Inertia: Reforming US Worker Protections in a Warming Climate

As global temperatures continue their upward trajectory, millions of American outdoor and indoor workers face escalating heat exposure that federal labor standards—drafted in a different climatic era—are structurally unprepared to address. Drawing on recent epidemiological evidence and the protective labor frameworks developed by Scandinavian nations, this article argues that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration must undertake substantive regulatory reform grounded in the realities

From Copenhagen to Cleveland: A Five-Point Evidence Framework for Climate-Resilient Urban Health in American Cities
Environmental Health

From Copenhagen to Cleveland: A Five-Point Evidence Framework for Climate-Resilient Urban Health in American Cities

European municipalities have accumulated a compelling body of evidence demonstrating that strategically deployed green infrastructure meaningfully reduces heat-related mortality, respiratory disease burden, and mental health strain among urban populations. American cities now face analogous environmental health pressures but must navigate distinct regulatory, financial, and demographic landscapes. This research synthesis translates peer-reviewed findings from European urban health studies into a
Transatlantic Health Policy Transfers: Diagnosing Why European Models Struggle to Take Root in the United States
Health Policy

Transatlantic Health Policy Transfers: Diagnosing Why European Models Struggle to Take Root in the United States

Decades of evidence support the effectiveness of European preventive care frameworks and integrated mental health delivery systems, yet repeated attempts to transplant these models into the American healthcare landscape have yielded inconsistent results. This peer-reviewed analysis examines the structural, regulatory, and cultural forces that create friction at the point of policy transfer. Understanding these barriers is essential for any serious effort to close the transatlantic gap in health