"Burden was estimated to be disproportionate in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa," the co-authors wrote in their report. "Implementing regulatory measures to limit exposure to phthalates as a class could help reduce the global [preterm birth] burden."
Researcher Sherri Mason told National Public Radio that the move to monitor substances like microplastics in drinking water is "an important first step." Earthjustice attorney Katherine O'Brien told the outlet the effort is "a distraction."
"What we've found is that when a solution is simple, low-risk, and shows visible results quickly, it becomes more accessible — including to women farmers who may not control large budgets or land," AquaBloom Founder and Chief Executive Officer Michelle Arsjad told CG.
"In emergency settings, there is rarely enough time to conduct full household surveys or collect detailed information, and field teams often face staffing, funding, and logistical constraints," study co-author Sonia Akter told CG. "The survey instrument overcomes these challenges."
Lize Barclay, Senior Lecturer in Futures Studies and Systems Thinking at Stellenbosch Business School in South Africa, told CG about how data center expansion in the region has the potential to further burden women and girls already disproportionately tasked with water collection.
Mothers displaced by floods across Kenya have shared accounts of infant illness, insufficient food, and decreased breastmilk supplies. One mom was forced to carry her newborn above rising waters. CG heard from Susan Onyango and Hellen Wanjohi-Opil, experts based in Nairobi, about the path forward.
"Cesar's actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people," Dolores Huerta wrote in her statement. "We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever."
"We need to get mercury and other heavy metal emissions down to zero or as close as we can get to," Skye Wheeler, a Senior Researcher in the Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, told CG via email.
"It’s hard to imagine the people I met who rely on U.S. drugs for their survival suddenly cut off," New York Times reporter Stephanie Nolen wrote of her recent trip to the northwest region of Zambia in a comment online.
"Participants consistently described chest binding during extreme heat as physically exhausting and, at times, unsafe," researchers Arnav Singh Rana and Sahil Jamal Siddiqui told CG, also noting methods for mitigating discomfort and protecting well-being.
"I would say that with just a massive amount of those chemicals in a short period, probably preterm birth would be greatly increased," researcher Marsha Wills-Karp told CG about some of the potential impacts of pollution from burning oil reserves. She also recommended steps to mitigate exposure.
Keya Khandaker of Plan International told CG about the research documenting the lives of girls in Benin, Brazil, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, the Philippines, Togo, Uganda, and Vietnam.
