
Jonathan I. Levy, ScD
Chair and Professor, Environmental Health - Boston University School of Public Health
Biography
Dr. Levy is Chair of the Department of Environmental Health. His research centers on urban environmental exposure and health risk modeling, with an emphasis on spatiotemporal exposure patterns and related environmental justice issues. Application areas include air pollution, climate change, and COVID-19. Recent and ongoing research topics include spatial patterns of air pollution in near-airport communities, the cardiovascular health effects of aviation-related noise, the public health co-benefits and equity implications of investments to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector, the application of systems science approaches to evaluate the benefits of housing interventions on pediatric asthma, and the patterns and predictors of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. He co-directed the Center for Research on Environmental and Social Stressors in Housing Across the Life Course (CRESSH), which involved interdisciplinary research activities connecting environmental epidemiology, exposure science, and health disparities modeling, with a focus on the indoor environment and community-engaged research. He currently serves as an Associate Director of the URBAN PhD program.
He has been a member of several National Research Council committees, including the Committee on Science for EPA's Future, the Committee on Health Impact Assessment, and the Committee on Improving Risk Analysis Approaches Used by the US Environmental Protection Agency. He also served on the Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis, which provided guidance to EPA on the impact of the Clean Air Act on health, the economy, and the environment.
Education
- Harvard School of Public Health, ScD Field of Study: Environmental Health
- Harvard College, BA Field of Study: Applied Mathematics
Publications
- Published on 7/29/2023
Haley BM, Patil P, Levy JI, Spangler KR, Tieskens KF, Carnes F, Peng X, Klevens RM, Troppy TS, Fabian MP, Lane KJ, Leibler JH. Evaluating COVID-19 Risk to Essential Workers by Occupational Group: A Case Study in Massachusetts. J Community Health. 2023 Jul 29. PMID: 37507525.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 7/11/2023
Buckley S, Connolly CL, Levy JI, Templer PH, Ashmore J, Carvalho L, Phillips N, Fabian MP. Carbon, indoor air, energy and financial benefits of coupled ventilation upgrade and enhanced rooftop garden installation: an interdisciplinary climate mitigation approach. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2023; 97:104792.
Read At: Custom
- Published on 6/21/2023
Grady ST, Hart JE, Laden F, Roscoe C, Nguyen DD, Nelson EJ, Bozigar M, VoPham T, Manson JE, Weuve J, Adar SD, Former JP, Rexrode K, Levy JI, Peters JL. Associations between long-term aircraft noise exposure, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in US cohorts of female nurses. Environmental Epidemiology. 2023; 7(4):e259.
Read At: Custom
- Published on 4/14/2023
Bozigar M, Huang T, Redline S, Hart JE, Grady ST, Nguyen DD, James P, Nicholas B, Levy JI, Laden F, Peters JL. Associations between Aircraft Noise Exposure and Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Quality in the United States-Based Prospective Nurses' Health Study Cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2023 Apr; 131(4):47010. PMID: 37058435.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 3/1/2023
Chung CS, Lane KJ, Black-Ingersoll F, Kolaczyk E, Schollaert C, Li S, Simon MC, Levy JI. Assessing the impact of aircraft arrival on ambient ultrafine particle number concentrations in near-airport communities in Boston, Massachusetts. Environ Res. 2023 May 15; 225:115584. PMID: 36868447.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 2/21/2023
Patil P, Peng X, Haley BM, Spangler KR, Tieskens KF, Lane KJ, Carnes F, Fabian MP, Klevens RM, Troppy TS, Leibler JH, Levy JI. Influence of geospatial resolution on sociodemographic predictors of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. Ann Epidemiol. 2023 Apr; 80:62-68.e3. PMID: 36822278.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 2/1/2023
Levy JI, Bowleg L. New Frameworks for Engaging Communities to Confront HIV, COVID-19, and Climate Change Health Inequities. Am J Public Health. 2023 Feb; 113(2):175-176. PMID: 36652646.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 1/31/2023
Bor J, Assoumou SA, Lane K, Diaz Y, Ojikutu BO, Raifman J, Levy JI. Inequities in COVID-19 vaccine and booster coverage across Massachusetts ZIP codes after the emergence of Omicron: A population-based cross-sectional study. PLoS Med. 2023 Jan; 20(1):e1004167. PMID: 36719864.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 1/27/2023
Lane KJ, Levy JI, Patton AP, Durant JL, Zamore W, Brugge D. Relationship between traffic-related air pollution and inflammation biomarkers using structural equation modeling. Sci Total Environ. 2023 Apr 20; 870:161874. PMID: 36716891.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 1/12/2023
Woodruff TJ, Rayasam SDG, Axelrad DA, Koman PD, Chartres N, Bennett DH, Birnbaum LS, Brown P, Carignan CC, Cooper C, Cranor CF, Diamond ML, Franjevic S, Gartner EC, Hattis D, Hauser R, Heiger-Bernays W, Joglekar R, Lam J, Levy JI, MacRoy PM, Maffini MV, Marquez EC, Morello-Frosch R, Nachman KE, Nielsen GH, Oksas C, Abrahamsson DP, Patisaul HB, Patton S, Robinson JF, Rodgers KM, Rossi MS, Rudel RA, Sass JB, Sathyanarayana S, Schettler T, Shaffer RM, Shamasunder B, Shepard PM, Shrader-Frechette K, Solomon GM, Subra WA, Vandenberg LN, Varshavsky JR, White RF, Zarker K, Zeise L. A science-based agenda for health-protective chemical assessments and decisions: overview and consensus statement. Environ Health. 2023 Jan 12; 21(Suppl 1):132. PMID: 36635734.
Read At: PubMed
View 278 more publications:View Full Profile at BUMC
News & In the Media
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Published on June 9, 2023
First COVID, Now Wildfire Smoke Show How Far There Is to Go On Indoor Air Quality
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Published on May 11, 2023
Is the COVID Pandemic Really Over? Here’s What the Data Show.
- Published on May 9, 2023
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Published on May 5, 2023
SPH Hosts Briefing for Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health
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Published on May 4, 2023
Some Want Massachusetts to Ban Gas Stoves in New Home Construction Like New York
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Published on April 26, 2023
Demand for Electric Vehicles Growing, but Can Charging Network Keep Up?
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Published on February 28, 2023
Professors Receive $1.3M EPA Grant to Advance Climate Resilience among Mystic River Communities
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Published on February 20, 2023
COVID Is Still Killing People Every Day. But Its Main Victims Have Changed
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Published on January 31, 2023
Gas Stoves Culture War. Is There a Public Health Component Worth Discussing?
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Published on January 29, 2023
In the Fight over Gas Stoves, Meet the Industry’s Go-to Scientist
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Published on January 25, 2023
Ventilation Key to Reducing Health Risks from Gas-Burning Stoves
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Published on January 17, 2023
Gas Stoves Can Harm Your Health — and Scientists Have Known That for Decades
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Published on January 16, 2023
An Environmental Health Professor Explains The Fracas Over Gas Stoves
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Published on January 16, 2023
Gas Stove Health Concerns: What to Know and How to Reduce Your Risk
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Published on January 14, 2023
SPH Researchers Recommend Regulatory Changes to EPA to Protect People from Hazardous Chemicals
- Published on January 13, 2023
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Published on January 12, 2023
Should You Replace Your Gas Stove with an Electric One? Here’s What You Need to Know.
- Published on January 10, 2023
- Published on January 10, 2023
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Published on January 5, 2023
Study: 15% Of Childhood Asthma Cases in Massachusetts Linked to Gas Stoves
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Published on January 3, 2023
Some Districts, Experts Are Recommending Masking as School Resumes to Prevent COVID-19 Spread
- Published on November 9, 2022
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Published on October 14, 2022
Investing in Indoor Air Quality Improvements in Schools Will Reduce COVID Transmission
- Published on October 10, 2022
- Published on October 7, 2022
- Published on October 5, 2022
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Published on September 19, 2022
Biden Says ‘the Pandemic Is Over.’ Some Local Docs Disagree.
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Published on September 15, 2022
Gas Stoves Aren’t Just Bad for the Environment. They Pollute Your Indoor Air, Too
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Published on September 15, 2022
Hot Topic How Your Cooker Could Put You and Your Kids at Risk of Deadly Diseases
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Published on September 14, 2022
Gas Stoves Linked to Asthma in Children, Adult Cancers, Scientist Warns
- Published on September 13, 2022
- Published on August 23, 2022
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Published on August 22, 2022
Mass. Health Leaders Call For Stepped-up COVID Plans for Fall and Winter
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Published on August 14, 2022
What New CDC COVID-19 School Guidelines Says about Bullying Face Mask Wearers
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Published on June 12, 2022
Employers Piece Together a Hodgepodge of COVID-19 Safety Policies to Stay Open and Healthy
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Published on May 26, 2022
This Photo of a Professor Wearing a Mask Went Viral. So Did His Response to Critics
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Published on May 24, 2022
Professor Who Went Viral for Wearing a Mask on a Zoom Call Explains His Reasoning
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Published on May 24, 2022
In Encouraging Sign, Levels of Coronavirus in Eastern Mass. Waste Water Have Dipped in Recent Days
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Published on May 18, 2022
Health Experts Call For Stricter COVID Measures in Massachusetts as Cases and Hospitalizations Rise
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Published on May 18, 2022
Health Experts Urge Gov. Baker, MBTA, & Schools to Bring Back COVID Precautions as Cases Rise
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Published on May 13, 2022
11 of 14 Mass. Counties Now Have High Levels of COVID-19, CDC Reports; Indoor Masking Recommended
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Published on May 13, 2022
What the White House Global COVID-19 Summit Should’ve Spent More Time On
- Published on May 12, 2022
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Published on May 6, 2022
The CDC Put Half of Mass. At a ‘High’ Community Level for COVID. Here’s What That Means.
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Published on April 27, 2022
How to Get the Most Out of Your Mask — In a Mask-Optional World
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Published on April 1, 2022
Chinatown in ‘High Exposure Zone’ for Unregulated Air Pollutants, Study Shows
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Published on March 30, 2022
‘The Pandemic Is Not over’: One Local Expert’s Take On Current COVID-19 Indicators
- Published on March 30, 2022
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Published on March 19, 2022
Racial Disparities in Mass. COVID Deaths Are Widest among Younger Adults
- Published on March 14, 2022
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Published on March 11, 2022
Two Years of COVID: A New Analysis Reveals a Heavy Toll on Young Families of Color in Massachusetts
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Published on March 10, 2022
In an Era of Optional Mask Wearing, Gov. Desantis’ Outburst Is a Cautionary Tale
- Published on February 15, 2022
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Published on February 9, 2022
Mass. Drops School Mask Order, but Some Parents, Doctors Fear It’s Too Soon
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Published on February 4, 2022
Clarence Fanto: To Mask or Unmask. That Is the Question Facing Lenox School Leaders
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Published on January 19, 2022
Public Health Experts and Doctors Urge That Schools Must Stay Open throughout Omicron at Any Cost
- Published on January 13, 2022
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Published on January 6, 2022
Mass. Schools Cope with COVID Disruptions, Including ‘Non-medical’ Use Masks
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Published on December 15, 2021
A Never-Ending Battle? A Rocky Journey as Us Enters Third Year Fighting COVID
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Published on December 9, 2021
‘Action Now’: BU Professor Urges Officials to Act as Local COVID Wastewater Data Rises
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Published on November 22, 2021
Local Epidemiologists Unsurprised by Rise in COVID Cases among School-Aged Kids in Mass.
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Published on November 22, 2021
Kids Ages 5-9 Outpacing Other Age Groups in COVID Cases in Massachusetts
- Published on November 10, 2021
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Published on November 9, 2021
Air Pollution Disproportionally Affects People of Color, Lower-Income Residents in DC
- Published on November 4, 2021
- Published on October 28, 2021
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Published on October 14, 2021
BU URBAN Prepares Students to Tackle Environmental and Climate Challenges
- Published on July 29, 2021
- Published on July 28, 2021
- Published on May 28, 2021
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Published on May 24, 2021
A BU Professor Believes Mass. Is Lifting Its COVID-19 Restrictions Too Quickly. Here’s Why.
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Published on April 21, 2021
Report: Air Quality Improving In Mass., Even before the Pandemic
- Published on April 13, 2021
- Published on March 29, 2021
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Published on March 29, 2021
A Simple Way to Tackle America’s Most Entrenched Problems? Retrofit Houses
- Published on March 24, 2021
- Published on March 12, 2021
- Published on March 1, 2021
- Published on March 1, 2021
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Published on January 28, 2021
Transportation Infrastructure Investments Could Save Hundreds of Lives, Billions of Dollars
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Published on December 16, 2020
Mass., Other States Near Historic Agreement to Curb Transportation Emissions
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Published on July 14, 2020
The Environmental Movement Needs to Join the Fight Against Racism
- Published on May 28, 2020
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Published on May 15, 2020
COVID-19 Story Map Illustrates Vulnerable Populations in Massachusetts
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Published on May 13, 2020
Healey Report Highlights COVID-19 Impact on Environmental Justice Communities
- Published on April 30, 2020
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Published on April 30, 2020
Massachusetts Communities with Dirty Air Are Coronavirus Hotspots
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Published on April 30, 2020
Massachusetts Communities with Dirty Air Are Coronavirus Hotspots
- Published on April 27, 2020
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Published on April 27, 2020
In Boston, COVID-19 and Climate Change Are Hitting Same Communities Hardest
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Published on April 21, 2020
5 Environmental Health Myths — and the Facts You Should Know Instead
- Published on January 29, 2020
- Published on November 25, 2019
- Published on November 22, 2019
- Published on October 22, 2019
- Published on September 27, 2019
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Published on September 23, 2019
Car Pollution in Boston Area Neighborhoods Poses Health Risk to Residents, New Research Finds
- Published on September 6, 2019
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Published on August 20, 2019
The 6 Things You Most Need to Know about Trump’s New Climate Plan
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Published on August 16, 2019
States Sue to Block New Power Plant Rule, Force EPA to Combat Climate Change
- Published on July 12, 2019
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Published on July 11, 2019
POV: What Trump Got Wrong, and Right, in His Speech about the Environment
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Published on July 11, 2019
What Trump Got Wrong, and Right, in His Speech about the Environment
- Published on June 27, 2019
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Published on June 20, 2019
Trump EPA Finalizes Rollback of Key Obama Climate Rule That Targeted Coal Plants
- Published on April 1, 2019
- Published on February 8, 2019
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Published on January 17, 2019
Study Shows 18 States Likely to Emit More CO2 under Affordable Clean Energy Plan
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Published on January 17, 2019
Clear Energy Plan Substitute May Result in Elevated Emissions
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Published on January 16, 2019
Trump Replacement for Obama Climate Plan Worse Than Doing Nothing — Study
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Published on January 16, 2019
Clean Power Plan Replacement Could Lead to Increased Emissions
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Published on January 16, 2019
Some States’ Emissions Would Be Higher under Trump Climate Rule, Study Finds
- Published on January 16, 2019
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Published on January 16, 2019
Affordable Clean Energy Rule May Lead to More Air Pollution and Carbon Emissions, Study Says
- Published on January 15, 2019
- Published on December 5, 2018
- Published on October 26, 2018
- Published on October 10, 2018
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Published on October 5, 2018
A Few Sentences Buried in a New EPA Rule Could Change How Toxic Chemicals Are Regulated
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Published on October 4, 2018
The EPA’s Bold New Idea Has Massive Implications for Public Health
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Published on October 2, 2018
Choking on Growth: More Boston Traffic Fuels Poorer Air Quality
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Published on July 18, 2018
Science at Salons: In New Bedford, Boston University Research Looks at Toxins in Toenails
- Published on June 29, 2018
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Published on June 5, 2018
Timilty Seeks Funds to Study Health Impact on Plane Overflights
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Published on April 6, 2018
Scott Pruitt’s Rollback of Emissions Standards Is a Big Deal. Here’s Why the Rollout Fell Flat
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Published on April 2, 2018
Scientists Worry Scott Pruitt’s New EPA Change Will Harm Life-Saving Research
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Published on March 27, 2018
As Scott Pruitt Flies First Class, EPA Barely Gets Off the Ground
- Published on February 21, 2018
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Published on February 16, 2018
Wall Paint, Perfumes and Cleaning Agents Are Polluting Our Air
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Published on February 7, 2018
These South Seattle Teens Are Taking On the Nation’s Aviation Regulators
- Published on November 9, 2017
- Published on October 23, 2017
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Published on December 15, 2016
Another Assault on Responsible Environmental Policy and Climate Change Control
- Published on July 15, 2016
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Published on May 25, 2016
New Research Center to Study Environmental Health Disparities
- Published on May 16, 2016
- Published on April 25, 2016
- Published on February 17, 2016
- Published on August 31, 2015
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Published on May 5, 2015
Health Benefits of Clean Power Plan Hinge on Key Policy Decisions
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Published on March 12, 2015
Link Between Cardiovascular Risks and ‘Ultrafine’ Particle Pollution
- Published on December 8, 2014
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Published on September 30, 2014
Power Plant Standards Could Save Thousands of Lives Every Year, Report Says
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Published on March 7, 2014
SPH Students Dive into State Budget Debate on Housing Voucher Funding