Peer-Reviewed Study Warns of Trump's 'Silent But Deadly Assault' on Public Health

The study in The New England Journal of Medicine catalogs the grave threat to Americans' health from the Trump administration's environmental rollbacks.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 7:53pm

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A translucent, ghostly X-ray photograph showing the internal structure of a human lung, with dark splotches and discoloration indicating damage from air pollution and toxic chemicals. The lung appears fragile and compromised, symbolizing the health risks posed by the Trump administration's environmental rollbacks.An X-ray image of a damaged human lung, reflecting the grave public health consequences of the Trump administration's environmental deregulation policies.Boston Today

A peer-reviewed study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has warned of the 'grave threat to America's health' posed by the policies of the Trump administration, including loosening emissions rules, suggesting the polio vaccine should be optional, and mandating the production of carcinogenic glyphosate. The study says the administration's actions will disproportionately impact vulnerable populations like children and low-income communities.

Why it matters

The study highlights how the Trump administration's environmental deregulation and public health policy changes could have severe consequences for the health and wellbeing of Americans, especially the most vulnerable. It raises concerns about the administration's priorities and its willingness to ignore scientific evidence in favor of industry interests.

The details

The study cataloged nearly 100 environmental and occupational protections, including air-quality safeguards, that were rescinded during Trump's first term, many of which were later reversed by the Biden administration. However, the study warns that the Trump administration's actions during its second term have been 'even more aggressive, portending greater harm.' This includes proposals to loosen standards for particulate matter 2.5 pollution, end subsidies for clean energy production, weaken tailpipe emissions standards, and delay implementation of stronger silica rules for coal miners.

  • The study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine on March 25, 2026.
  • The Trump administration's second term began in January 2025.

The players

The New England Journal of Medicine

A highly respected, science-based medical journal that published the peer-reviewed study warning of the Trump administration's harmful public health policies.

Robert F. Kennedy

The newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary in the Trump administration, who made baseless claims that Americans would prefer the for-profit insurance system over universal healthcare and refused to reject debunked claims about vaccines.

Lee Zeldin

The Environmental Protection Agency Administrator in the Trump administration, who described the administration's climate regulation rollbacks as driving 'a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.'

Ken Cook

The co-founder of the Environmental Working Group, who said the study described 'a deliberate dismantling of safeguards that protect the air, water, and health of nearly every person in this country—all in the service of polluters.'

Philip Landrigan

The pediatrician and public health physician who is the lead author of the paper and directs the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College.

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What they’re saying

“Unless health professionals speak up, and unless we put a human face on the tragic consequences of these environmental rollbacks, the connection between these seemingly abstract policy changes and the real health harms they cause may remain invisible.”

— Philip Landrigan, Lead author of the study

“Those initiatives and other administration actions are set to reverse progress on pollution, make workplaces more dangerous, and (in Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin's words) drive 'a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion'.”

— Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

“No amount of political pressure or intimidation should silence independent science or the experts working to protect public health. The NEJM and the study's authors rightly ignore those threats and lay bare the real-world consequences of the Trump administration's actions—and the American people deserve to hear it.”

— Ken Cook, Co-founder, Environmental Working Group

What’s next

The study's authors emphasized that health professionals must continue to speak out and work with broad coalitions to halt the Trump administration's harmful policies and rebuild trust in the agencies and protections that have enabled Americans to live healthier lives.

The takeaway

This peer-reviewed study provides a stark warning about the grave public health consequences of the Trump administration's environmental deregulation and policy changes, which disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. It underscores the importance of science-based policymaking and the need for health professionals to advocate for protecting the health and wellbeing of all Americans.