About

Rachel Morello-Frosch is an environmental health scientist and a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on social determinants of environmental health disparities, examining how inequality, psychosocial stress, and environmental chemical exposures interact to produce health inequalities among diverse communities. Much of her work addresses environmental justice issues in the context of climate change, ambient air pollution, chemical exposures, and their effects on fetal growth and developmental outcomes, often utilizing community-based participatory research methods. In collaboration with communities and scientists, Dr. Morello-Frosch has developed science-policy tools to assess the cumulative impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors, aiming to improve regulatory decision-making and promote environmental justice. Her research is supported by various agencies including NIH, NSF, Cal-EPA, and private foundations. She is also a co-author of 'Contested Illness: Citizens, Science and Health Social Movements' and has made significant contributions to understanding environmental health disparities, environmental justice, and the impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations.

Selected publications

• Impact of Wildland Fire Smoke PM _2.5 on Birth Weight in California

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2026-01-12

  articleOpen access

  impacts fetal growth, especially among marginalized groups.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Non-inclusive language in human subjects questionnaires: addressing racial, ethnic, heteronormative, and gender bias

  BMC Public Health · 2025-10-31

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Questionnaires for research that involve diverse populations require inclusive language. There are few guidelines to assist researchers in minimizing social and cultural biases in data collection materials; such biases can result in harm and negatively impact data integrity. METHODS: We describe an approach to evaluating language in data collection forms reflecting racial, ethnic, heteronormative, and gender bias using the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide Cohort Study (EWC) as a case study. The 245 data collection forms were used by 69 cohorts in the first seven years of the (ECHO)-wide Cohort Study (EWC). A diverse panel of reviewers (n = 5) rated all forms; each form also was rated by a second student. Items identified as reflecting bias were coded as to the specificity of the bias using nine categories (e.g., racial bias, heteronormative assumptions) following whole panel discussion. We provide recommendations for conducting inclusive research to the scientific community. RESULTS: Thirty-six percent (n = 88) of the data collection forms were identified as containing biased language. In total, 137 instances of bias were recorded, eight instances of racial or ethnic bias, 56 instances of bias related to sex, gender identity and sexual orientation and 73 instances of bias related to universal assumptions. Seventy-three percent (n = 64) of forms with biased language are validated measures. The review culminated in recommended revisions to forms used by ECHO and the general scientific community. CONCLUSION: Adverse health outcomes disproportionately affect marginalized populations. Utilizing culturally and socially conscious research materials that are inclusive of various identities and experiences is necessary to help remediate these disparities. Our review finds compelling evidence of bias in many widely used data collection instruments. Recommendations for conducting more inclusive science are discussed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Eliminating air pollution disparities requires more than emission reduction

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2025-12-05 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  In the United States, people of color are disproportionately and unjustly exposed to air pollution. Historically, environmental policy has emphasized aggregate emission reductions, yet major emission reduction scenarios do not sufficiently mitigate relative exposure disparities. Here, we show that without focusing on relative disparity (percent difference) in exposure, the only way to improve air quality and eliminate absolute exposure disparity is to eliminate all emissions (an unlikely outcome). We demonstrate that the relative disparity metric is ethically important and also a controllable societal feature that can reduce absolute disparity in exposure. We illustrate a range of approaches to air pollution policy that go beyond traditional emission reductions to meaningfully address exposure disparities. These strategies should be at the center of the future US environmental policy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Breast cancer-related occupational exposures facing immigrant women

  Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology · 2025-10-20

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Immigrants comprise roughly 14% of the U.S. population, and studies indicate that breast cancer increases among some immigrant groups after relocating to the U.S. OBJECTIVE: We characterized exposures to breast cancer-relevant chemicals in jobs commonly occupied by U.S. immigrant women, aged 18-65. METHODS: We analyzed data from the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample to profile which occupations are most prevalent for immigrant women and integrated these results with data on occupational chemical exposures from the Women's Occupations and Risk from Chemicals tool, which identifies occupations with probable and possible chemical exposures of relevance for breast cancer. RESULTS: Immigrant women most commonly work as house cleaners, nurses, cashiers, janitors, and care aides, and comprise 71% of manicurists. We prioritize the occupations house cleaners and nurses for their combination of high potential exposures and the large number of immigrant women employed in these occupations. Chemicals of interest are those found in fragrances, and cleaning and maintenance products, including phthalates, antimicrobials, and alkylphenols. Many of these compounds are mammary gland carcinogens and developmental toxicants, and/or endocrine disruptors. IMPACT: There are few studies of breast cancer-relevant chemical exposures for most occupations, including those heavily represented by immigrant women. By identifying jobs that employ large numbers of immigrant women and are associated with a high likelihood of exposure to potential breast carcinogens, we inform future research on breast cancer-relevant exposures and opportunities for preventative exposure reduction. We also show that immigrant women with lower levels of education and English fluency work in occupations with more potential for harmful chemical exposures.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Advancing Methods and Models that Promote Equity in Ambient Air Quality

  Annual Review of Public Health · 2025-12-19 · 2 citations

  review

  Several groups in the United States, including communities of color and low-income communities, are frequently disproportionately exposed to ambient (i.e., outdoor) air pollution, reflecting unjust placement of emission sources, systemic bias, and historic race-based land use planning. Eliminating these inequities is critical for advancing environmental justice. This review synthesizes methodological innovations for characterizing and mitigating ambient air pollution inequities, focusing on the past 10 years, mostly in the United States. Advances in exposure assessment (e.g., empirical models, satellite remote sensing, mobile monitoring, sensor networks) provide new tools for characterizing disparities. Advances in techniques for attributing pollution to specific sources (e.g., reduced-complexity models) reveal how emission-reduction approaches may or may not eliminate disparities. Spatially targeted emission reductions are critical for eliminating relative disparities; conventional approaches (e.g., sectoral emission reductions, national concentration standards) are unlikely to eliminate those disparities. This article provides insights for effective interventions to promote equity in ambient air pollution exposure.

  PublisherDOI

• Methodological Design Choices Can Affect Air Pollution Exposure Disparity Estimates: A Case Study on California’s Agricultural Sector

  ChemRxiv · 2025-11-14

  articleOpen access

  People of color in the United States are disproportionately and unfairly exposed to air pollution. Equity-oriented scientific evaluations quantifying these disparities often use population-average exposure metrics to capture the overall inequality within a system. Utilizing these metrics involves choices about the exposure input for assessing disparity, the study geography, and the reference population, which are critical to understanding disparities and effectively designing interventions. Here, we use a case study of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from California’s agricultural sector to dissect the implications of these decisions. Using a reduced-complexity model and emissions of PM2.5 and precursors, we compare estimates of racial-ethnic disparities in exposure resulting from different combinations of these methodological choices. The full population distributions highlight differences between disparity at the extremes (e.g., 90th percentile) and at the mean. Additionally, the selection of study geography and reference population can influence the magnitude and relative ordering of exposure disparities. Thus, methodological choices can lead to different conclusions for the same concentration and population surfaces; this can impact not only the findings of an individual study but also have implications for mitigation strategies. We conclude with recommendations for best practices for making, justifying, and communicating these methodological decisions.

  PublisherDOI

• Health Social Movements

  The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society · 2025-10-31

  otherSenior author

  Abstract Health social movements have strongly affected the health‐care system, health‐care policies and regulations, and public awareness of health and illness. These movements are as old as the Industrial Revolution, when activists and allied professionals focused on urban poverty and occupational health. Starting in the late 1960s, the women's health movement became one of the most profound of all social movements. It challenged medical stereotypes of women, broadened reproductive rights, demanded expanded funding and services, pressed for changes in traditional standards of clinical care, and changed medical research practices. AIDS activists learned from that movement and fought for expanded funding for research and treatment, advocated for the application of complementary and alternative treatment approaches, and won major shifts in the design of clinical trials.

  PublisherDOI

• Prenatal exposure to environmental phenolic compounds and their association with childhood atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis in the ECHO cohort

  Environment International · 2025-10-25

  articleOpen access

  • Prenatal urinary levels of parabens were associated with increased odds of early childhood atopic dermatitis. • Among girls, prenatal levels of parabens, benzophenones and bisphenol S had stronger associations with atopic dermatitis. • Among girls, prenatal levels of benzophenones showed higher odds of being associated with allergic rhinitis. • Prenatal pentachlorophenol levels were associated with lower odds of allergic rhinitis and benzophenones with lower odds of asthma. Phenolic compounds may be harmful to the developing fetus, but many have not been studied in-depth for adverse childhood allergic and respiratory health effects. We hypothesized that higher levels of phenolic compounds in prenatal spot urine would be associated with greater odds of childhood atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, and that child sex may modify these associations. 3198 mother–child paired cases were enrolled from 16 cohorts in the U.S. ECHO consortium. Fifteen phenols (e.g. benzophenones, parabens, bisphenols, triclosans) were measured from mother’s urine during pregnancy using a multi-class chemical panel. Childhood outcomes included parent-reported atopic dermatitis (1466 mother–child pairs) between ages 0–3 years, and allergic rhinitis (901 mother–child pairs) and asthma (1662 mother–child pairs) between ages 5–9 years. Prenatal parabens were associated with increased odds of atopic dermatitis (odds ratio (OR) 1.13, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 1.02, 1.26). Benzophenones were associated with lower odds of asthma (OR 0.77, CI 0.66, 0.90). Compared to boys, girls demonstrated higher odds of parabens (1.21, CI 1.04, 1.42), benzophenones (1.18, CI 1.00, 1.38) and bisphenol S (1.21, CI 1.03, 1.43) being associated with atopic dermatitis, and of the benzophenones (1.46, CI 1.11, 1.93) being associated with allergic rhinitis. An association of benzophenones (0.66, CI 0.53, 0.83) with lower odds of asthma was stronger among boys. These findings suggest that prenatal paraben and other phenol exposures may adversely affect early-life allergic and respiratory outcomes, with sex-specific vulnerability. Novel, multi-modality approaches to reduce maternal phenol exposure during pregnancy are urgently needed to protect children’s health.

  PublisherDOI

• Psychosocial stressors as modifiers of the associations between well-studied and understudied chemicals and birth outcomes in the ECHO Cohort

  Environmental Pollution · 2025-11-25

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Psychosocial stressors may exacerbate observed associations between environmental toxicants and adverse birth outcomes. However, studies have primarily focused on well-known compounds rather than a broader range of chemicals of concern. Pregnant women in this analysis had a prenatal urine sample analyzed for 113 well-studied and understudied chemical analytes, and at least one measure of psychosocial stress (N=1,566). We measured analytes from 10 chemical classes, including fungicides/herbicides, insecticides, halogenated phenols, organophosphorus flame retardants, benzophenones, bisphenols, parabens, antimicrobials, phthalates/alternative plasticizers, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Principal component analysis was used to identify clusters of exposure patterns. Generalized Estimating Equation models assessed associations between principal components (PCs) and molar sums of each chemical class with birthweight z-scores and gestational age at birth, stratified by individual stressors (i.e., categorical adverse childhood experiences [ACEs; 0, 1-2, and 3-5]; binary prenatal perceived stress, depression, and anxiety). The PC reflecting higher exposure to all analytes (PC1) was negatively associated with birthweight z-scores only among those who experienced 3-5 ACEs compared with those with no ACEs (β PC1 =-0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-0.11, -0.05 for 3-5 ACEs; β PC1 =-0.01, 95% CI=-0.05, 0.04 for 0 ACEs). Most phthalate molar sums were inversely associated with gestational age only among those with anxiety during pregnancy (e.g., β DINP =-0.29, 95% CI=-0.41, -0.18 for anxiety-yes; β DINP = 0.23, 95% CI=0.01, 0.46 for anxiety-no). Findings suggest that certain psychosocial stressors modify associations between understudied chemicals and birth outcomes. • We studied the effect of psychosocial stressors and chemicals on birth outcomes. • We analyzed 1,556 mother-child pairs in the ECHO Cohort. • Stressors included adverse childhood experiences, depression, anxiety, and stress. • We observed some evidence of joint effects, particularly for phthalate exposures. • Future studies may consider co-exposure to multiple psychosocial stressors.

  PublisherDOI

• Methodological Design Choices Can Affect Air Pollution Exposure Disparity Estimates: A Case Study on California’s Agricultural Sector

  ChemRxiv · 2025-08-10

  preprintOpen access

  People of color in the United States are disproportionately and unfairly exposed to air pollution. Equity-oriented scientific evaluations quantifying these disparities often use population-average exposure metrics to capture the overall inequality within a system. Utilizing these metrics involves choices about the exposure input for assessing disparity, the study geography, and the reference population, which are critical to understanding disparities and effectively designing interventions. Here, we use a case study of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from California’s agricultural sector to dissect the implications of these decisions. Using a reduced-complexity model and emissions of PM2.5 and precursors, we compare estimates of racial-ethnic disparities in exposure resulting from different combinations of these methodological choices. The full population distributions highlight differences between disparity at the extremes and at the mean. Additionally, the selection of study geography and reference population can influence the magnitude and relative ordering of exposure disparities. Thus, methodological choices can lead to different conclusions for the same concentration and population surfaces; this can in turn not only impact the findings of an individual study but also have implications for mitigation strategies. We conclude with recommendations for best practices for making, justifying, and communicating these methodological decisions.

  PublisherDOI

Awards & honors

• Rachel Morello-Frosch elected to National Academy of Medicin…
• EHS Graduate Group Faculty Member Honored With Chancellor’s…
• Rachel Morello-Frosch joins White House Environmental Justic…