Category: Gendered Exposure

Video

Toxic Threads: Examining Gendered Health Risks in the Textile Sector

2026

What does gender-responsive chemical management actually look like in practice? In the textile sector, chemical risks are still too often treated as gender-neutral. They are not. From exposure pathways and…

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Video

The urgent need to regulate menstrual products

2026

New studies show that menstrual products such as tampons and sanitary towels – and in some cases period underwear too – may contain chemicals such as PFAS (‘forever chemicals’), pesticides,…

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Law/Regulation

UNEP/MC/COP.6/29 – Activities to address health concerns of women and children in the biennium 2026–2027

2026

In decision MC-6/16, COP-6 invited Parties to continue their implementation of decision MC-5/15 on the gender action plan, including to address health concerns of women and children, and agreed on…

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Case Study•Journal Article

Gender-role norms and livelihoods of female small-scale gold miners in Kenya: A qualitative study

2026

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining continues to grow worldwide and is linked to gendered labor divisions, limited economic opportunities, and exposure to unsafe working conditions. Women and men often hold…

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Video

Breaking Gender Barriers in Uganda’s ASGM Sector

2025

In this video, we meet Monica, an ambitious miner from Tiira Mine Site in Busia, Uganda, who is redefining what it means to be a woman in the artisanal and…

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Case Study

Gender Mainstreaming in Projects: Case Studies from the Specific International Programme

2025

This new publication presents an assessment of how projects funded by the Specific International Programme (SIP) under the Minamata Convention integrate considerations related to women and girls in their design…

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Case Study•Video

planetGOLD Uganda: Accelerating Gender Equality in ASGM

2025

In this video, the planetGOLD Uganda team shares their insights on key actions needed to create a more inclusive and equitable ASGM sector.

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Journal Article

Gender, self-care and toxic exposures: a narrative review of personal care product use and health equity implications

2025

Background Personal care products (PCPs) are widely used across populations, yet their composition includes a range of hazardous chemicals that pose risks to human health and the environment. Emerging evidence…

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Law/Regulation

Minamata Gender Action Plan

2025

This gender action plan for the Minamata Convention reflects the increasing understanding that gender equality is a prerequisite for sustainable development overall and for the protection of human rights and…

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Guide

ADDRESSING GENDER IN THE ARTISANAL & SMALL-SCALE GOLD MINING SECTOR

2025

In a sector that employs up to 20 million people, women and children comprise around 20% of artisanal and small-scale gold miners (ASGM). While women are active in the ASGM…

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Journal Article

Examining the Role of Self-Reported Product Selection Strategies in Shifting Chemical Exposures Among Black Women and Latinas: Lessons from the Taking Stock Study

2025

Background: Personal care products (PCPs) are a significant source of environmental chemical exposures among women of color. Prior studies suggest that individuals may reduce their exposures by avoiding certain ingredients…

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Report

A/79/163: Gender and hazardous substances

2024

In the present thematic report to the General Assembly, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 54/10, the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound…

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Journal Article

Occupational Health Injuries and Illnesses Among Women Workers in the Chemical Industry: A Scoping Review

2024

Background: The number of women in the chemical industry has recently increased due to more women pursuing science careers. It is necessary, therefore, to analyze the emerging health risks for…

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Guide

Guide to protection against endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in everyday products

2024

Here you will find everything you need to know about EDCs, which unfortunately we encounter in many everyday products, presented in an up-to-date manner. What are EDCs? Where are they…

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Case Study

Tackling Toxics | Case Studies Kenya and Tunisia 2022

2023

The scoping study “Gender, Chemicals and Waste” was carried out in Kenya and Tunisia between January and June 2022 on behalf of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions secretariat. It…

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Video

Tackling Toxics

2022

Man-made toxic chemicals are all around us in products and waste. But some people get exposed to them more often than others, and not everybody is impacted by toxic chemicals…

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Training

Mercury and Gender

2022

This course focuses on the health effects of mercury exposure on women and children, the description of the main sources of exposure to this toxic metal, and its main risks.…

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Journal Article

Lysmeral Exposure in Children and Adolescences Participating in the German Environmental Survey (2012–2015): Integrating Sex/Gender into Analysis

2022

Comprehensive consideration of the biological and social diversities of sex and gender as well as their interdependencies is mostly missing in human biomonitoring (HBM) studies. Using the INGER sex/gender concept…

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Factsheet

The Role and Experience of Women in Plastic Waste Management

2022

This factsheet examines women’s roles in plastic waste management within a context of rapidly increasing global plastic waste and heavy reliance on informal systems in developing countries. It outlines how…

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Factsheet

Gender and medical waste in the time of COVID-19

2022

The waste management sector has seen significant impacts from the burgeoning COVID-19 waste problem including the high risk of exposure to both informal and formal waste workers. This sheet provides…

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Journal Article

Women in agriculture: pathways of pesticide exposure, potential health risks and vulnerability in sub-Saharan Africa

2022

Background Pesticide exposure and its adverse impacts remain a major problem for women’s health, but a comprehensive scientific literature and summaries are still missing. With a specific focus in sub-Saharan…

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Video

Learn How These Common Household Ingredients Harm Your Fertility

2021

Today, we’re going to focus on phthalates and how to decrease exposure to improve your overall health. You’ll learn what a phthalate is, where you can find phthalates in the…

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Video

What You Need to Know About Endocrine Disruptors and Your Fertility

2021

Today’s video is all about endocrine disruptors: what they are and why it’s important to be aware. As a reproductive endocrinologist with over 15 years’ experience helping people build their…

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Report

A/76/207: The stages of the plastics cycle and their impacts on human rights

2021

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Marcos Orellana, examines the current…

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Video

45min for gender in sectors –Webinar 5: Gender & Chemicals in Agriculture

2021

With guest speaker: Elizabeth Mueni Kiio-Nzioka. The webinar was held on the 29th of June 2021.

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Video

45min for gender in sectors – Webinar 2: Gender & Chemicals in Cosmetics

2021

Guest speaker: Thony Dizon, Chemicals Safety Campaigner, Ecowaste Coalition, Philippines, on their advocacy work related to chemicals and cosmetics, with a special focus on bleaching products. The webinar was held…

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Video

45min for gender in sectors – Webinar 1: Gender & Chemicals in Toxicology

2021

WEBINAR 1 – Gender & Chemicals in Toxicology Guest speaker: Dr Cinzia La Rocca, Toxicology Unit – Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Instituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome – Italy The webinar…

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Guide

Quick Start Guide – Gender in National Action Plans for artisanal and small-scale gold mining

2021

The Quick Start Guide summarizes and provides a visual overview of the key issues and recommendations for incorporating gender dimensions into National Action Plans (NAP) for artisanal and small-scale gold…

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Factsheet

Gender Equality and Mercury

2021

All people are exposed to mercury on some level, but the greatest concern revolves around the exposure of women of child-bearing age because of its impact on future generations. The…

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Guide

Incorporating gender dimensions into national strategy setting in chemicals management

2021

Incorporating gender dimensions into national strategy setting in chemicals management: For Minamata Convention national action plans for artisanal and small-scale gold mining and Stockholm Convention national implementation plans This joint…

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Report

Women, Chemicals and the SDGs

2021

Gender review mapping with a focus on women and chemicals: impact of emerging policy issues and the relevancefor the sustainable development goals In line with the UNEP-IPEN partnership, the aim…

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Journal Article

Sex and Gender Differences in Occupational Hazard Exposures: a Scoping Review of the Recent Literature

2021

Purpose of Review Comparative research on sex and/or gender differences in occupational hazard exposures is necessary for effective work injury and illness prevention strategies. This scoping review summarizes the peer-reviewed…

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Case Study

Gender, Chemicals, Waste – Case study from Kyrgyzstan

2021

Between 2019 and 2021, WECF and its partners in Kyrgyzstan (BIOM, EKOIS ) studied the gender impacts of hazardous chemicals, on request of the UN Environment secretariat of the chemicals…

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Factsheet

Gender Dimension in Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining in Indonesia: The Women Perspective from GOLD-ISMIA’s project location

2020

It is estimated that the number of women involved in Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM ) is very large, but there is very little explanation of women’s involvement and experiences.…

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Video

Webinar 2: Gender and chemicals in different sectors

2020

Chemicals are omnipresent in daily life. That’s why we can find interconnections of gender and chemicals in numerous sectors. In our second webinar we want to discuss gender roles in…

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Video

Webinar 1: Chemicals and gender – why it matters?

2020

Our first webinar introduces you to the complex world of chemistry and its gender aspects. It gives you a first overview of our new webinar series and highlights why gender…

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Journal Article

Volatile organic compounds in feminine hygiene products sold in the US market: A survey of products and health risks

2020

Feminine hygiene products (FHPs) are used on highly permeable and sensitive vaginal and vulvar tissues by many women. These products contain a variety of chemicals, and few regulations require disclosure…

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Journal Article

Potency and Power: Estrogen, Cosmetics, and Labeling in Canadian Regulatory Practices, 1939–1953

2020

Building on a rich body of feminist scholarship on estrogen, this account interrogates how potent estrogenic cosmetics and consumer product labels emerged together, through the regulatory practices of scientists and…

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Journal Article

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) as Industrial and Settler Colonial Structures: Towards a Decolonial Feminist Approach

2020

Oil refineries and settler colonialism are not typically how feminist and environmental frameworks scope the problem of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Instead, it is much more common to find EDCs described…

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Briefing•Case Study

Gender and Waste Nexus: Experiences from Bhutan, Mongolia and Nepal – Policy Brief

2019

This policy brief presents an analysis of the gendered nature of the waste sector in Bhutan, Mongolia and Nepal, developed under a waste and climate change project led by the…

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Briefing

Gender and the sound management of chemicals and waste policy brief

2018

“Gender mainstreaming” is defined as a strategy for making both men and women’s concerns and experiences an integral part of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres.…

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Journal Article

Cosmetics, chemical exposure and gender differences

2018

The use of cosmetic products has always played an important role in human society, and has reflected the social and cultural changes it has undergone throughout history. The natural ingredients…

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Journal Article

Cleaning at Home and at Work in Relation to Lung Function Decline and Airway Obstruction

2018

Rationale: Cleaning tasks may imply exposure to chemical agents with potential harmful effects to the respiratory system, and increased risk of asthma and respiratory symptoms among professional cleaners and in…

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Case Study

Gender Dimensions of Hazardous Chemicals and Waste policies under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

2017

The BRS Gender Action Plan (BRS-GAP) was finalized in December 2013 and aims to ensure that principles of gender equality are firmly embedded in activities undertaken by the Secretariat of…

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Journal Article

Gender differences in pesticide use knowledge, risk awareness and practices in Chinese farmers

2017

This study investigates gender differences in the pesticide use knowledge, risk awareness and practices of farmers in Anqiu County, China. A total of 452 male and 178 female farmers from…

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Journal Article

Developmental neurotoxicants and the vulnerable male brain: a systematic review of suspected neurotoxicants that disproportionally affect males

2017

The prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), including autism spectrum disorder, attention‑deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tic disorder, obsessive‑compulsive disorder, and emotional disturbances, has increased notably in the past few decades. To date, debate…

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Article

Women still do most of the cleaning: is it putting their health at risk?

2015

In February, California’s legislature began considering AB 708, a bill that would require cleaning product manufacturers to disclose all ingredients on product labels. Although the bill doesn’t directly address female…

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Article

Not so pretty: women apply an average of 168 chemicals every day

2015

Between cosmetics, perfumes, personal care products and feminine hygiene products, women in the US apply an average of 168 chemicals to their faces and bodies every day, according to new…

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Article

The gender dimension: Integrating the gender perspective in OSH policies

2014

The increasing proportion of women in the workforce raises a range of gender-related questions about the different effects of work-related risks on men and women. If health promotion policies in…

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Journal Article

When gender bumps into health and safety training: working conditions, readings and challenges drawn from a case study in an industrial chemicals company

2012

Health, safety and environmental issues are at present a social concern and an increasingly referred topic in the so called gender studies. This paper focuses on the relations between training,…

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Project/Initiative

Everyday exposures to PFAS chemicals

Highly fluorinated chemicals called PFAS are added to a wide variety of consumer products to make them non-stick, waterproof, and stain-resistant. They are found in carpets and upholstery, waterproof apparel,…

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Project/Initiative

Consumer product use in women of color

Studies show women of color face higher exposures to toxic chemicals relative to White women, regardless of socioeconomic status. Black women and children also have increased rates of hormone-mediated health…

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Project/Initiative

Household Exposure Study (California)

The emissions from the city’s many industries and transit lines seep into the homes—and lungs—of residents. Not surprisingly, Richmond now has the highest hospitalization rate for asthma in the county.…

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Project/Initiative

PERIOD – PER and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) exposure: Impact Of Dermal contact with menstrual products

Menstrual products are essential for hygiene and gender equality. However, recent research has shown that these products may contain harmful chemicals, particularly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The health risks…

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Training

What has gender got to do with Chemicals?

Have you ever wondered what gender has to do with chemicals? Are there any differences in exposure for women compared to men? What kind of differences? This course will provide…

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Training

Gender Equality and Chemicals

Closing the gaps: gender dimensions in chemicals regulation The section provides a short introduction into the problem of why chemicals impact on men and women should be considered differently. Gender,…

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Training

Chemical Cosmetics – Heavy Metals, Talc Powder, Parabens, and Phthalates

Cosmetics and personal care products are advertised as enhancing beauty and health. But did you know that some of these products contain mercury or even asbestos? Or that parabens used…

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