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Geoscience and Human Health (GeoHealth):

Impacts and Mitigation of Impacts on Human

Health Due to a Changing Natural Environment

Kasey White, GSA Director for Geoscience Policy; Barb Dutrow, analyzed, and mapped using geospatial tools to create new insights
2021–2022 GSA President and high-impact visuals for communication among scientists and
non-scientists. The application of geospatial tools is a vastly under-
Under the overarching theme of GeoHealth, the National utilized method to determine correlations between geological data
Science Foundation (NSF) requested that the Geological Society (e.g., soil and groundwater contaminant concentrations) and health
of America (GSA) contribute innovative ideas that have the poten- and demographic parameters. Such studies can help pinpoint areas
tial for solving societal problems and provide commercialization or neighborhoods with the greatest risks of excessive exposure to
potential on a short time frame. GSA gathered feedback from its various contaminants, such as PFAS, microplastics, and pharmaceu-
network, including its members and Associated Societies, through ticals, as well as mine waste and agricultural runoff.
a series of targeted brainstorming sessions, online questionnaires,
Section Meeting events, and directed outreach to experts in the How would you reach those GeoHealth goals? What stakeholders,
community of practice. GSA is grateful to its members and the technology, and/or partnerships are needed?
broader community for their thoughtful input and to the NSF for Transdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with health scien-
the opportunity to participate. tists, will be a key requirement for many of the research initiatives,
The responses underscore the fundamental linkage that Earth’s in part to gain access to fine-scale health data that are subject to
health influences human health. Human health intersects with all confidentiality provisions outside of the researchers collecting the
of Earth’s spheres: lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and bio- data. New funding sources and funding models are needed to incen-
sphere. It is therefore essential that geoscientists, who analyze all tivize and support these collaborations between geoscientists and
of Earth’s spheres, partner with those in the health, epidemiologi- medical/biomedical researchers at the state, federal, and interna-
cal, and toxicological fields to maximize the identification, moni- tional levels. In addition, it will be useful to develop technology
toring, communication, and mitigation impacts on human health partners to better connect high-resolution geospatial data with
that occur through geologic processes. In concert, those same health data.
partners provide synergy to use geological materials to improve
human health. A summary of responses to NSF’s posed questions How do we effectively communicate the critical role of geosci-
follows, along with a brief description of our methodology. The ence in addressing environmental impacts on human health to
full report is online at www.geosociety.org/geohealth-solutions. the public and decision makers?
Communication and outreach are crucial to GeoHealth, both for
What are the highest priority challenges in GeoHealth that identifying areas of needed research and for sharing results. To be
can be addressed with actionable solutions in a two- to three- effective and to drive participation, communication and outreach
year timeframe? efforts must be funded, supported, and valued and involve profes-
Earth scientists can inform and partner with health researchers sionals at all career stages and stakeholders in the community. A
to identify, predict, and mitigate health impacts brought about by range of communication strategies, including visualization tools,
climate change as mediated through geologic processes. Examples are needed. Partnerships with not-for-profit organizations allow
include sea-level rise, over-use of groundwater, increased aridity geoscientists to build upon their proficiencies in this area, while
and desertification, and severity and impact of wildfires. Climate connections with high-visibility organizations allow for enhanced
mitigation efforts, such as increased mining activities for mineral outreach to the general public.
resource extraction to fuel the low-carbon transition, could also
affect health. What changes and resources are needed to embed a culture of
Additional opportunities at the intersection of geology and innovation, entrepreneurialism, and translational research in
health include developing geologic materials into products that GeoHealth?
benefit human health, such as the use of antibacterial clays to Development of new funding mechanisms (e.g., with National
defeat antibiotic-resistant pathogens, enhanced pathogen research, Institutes of Health [NIH] and education) and reward structures to
and deeper understanding of human uptake of metals. incentivize partnerships and transdisciplinary research are needed.
Massive datasets for geological parameters, as well as various In addition, opportunities exist to develop course content in geosci-
health parameters, are available. These datasets can be mined, ences to be embedded into traditional biological/medical sciences.

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