Scoping Review of the Environmental and Human Health Effects of Rural Alaska Landfills.

ABSTRACT: Landfill contaminants pose significant risks to environmental and human health, particularly in rural Alaska. These communities are predominantly Alaska Native and face unique challenges in solid waste management due to geography, climate, and limited infrastructure. This scoping review assessed published research on the impacts of landfill contaminants in the Arctic (Aim 1) and Alaska specifically (Aim 2). Seventy-one studies met the inclusion criteria, all of which were used to develop a conceptual model of contaminant transport pathways. Thirty-nine studies included Alaska-specific research: thirty-three focused on environmental impacts, and six addressed human health (e.g., birth outcomes, cancer). Key topics included waste burning, heat generation, carbon release, leachate characteriz

SUBMITTER: Chaney C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12840892 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature