Climate Change and Lead Exposure: A One Health Bibliometric Review of Environmental and Public Health Risks

Climate change is a major environmental determinant of health, capable of altering exposure pathways to toxic contaminants such as (Pb) [1,2]. Lead is a persistent global pollutant with no safe exposure threshold and disproportionately affects children and socioeconomically vulnerable populations [3–5,17,24]. This review examines how climate-related processes amplify lead mobilization and associated public health risks within a One Health framework. We conducted an integrated bibliometric and narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published between 1990 and 2025 using Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Bibliometric mapping was combined with thematic synthesis. A total of 89 studies were analyzed. Results reveal a fragmented research landscape across disciplines and identify five convergent climate-sensitive lead exposure pathways: flood-driven remobilization [8,58], drought-related dust resuspension [7,22], temperature-mediated increases in bioavailability [6,28], urban amplification [9,20,21], and climate-influenced transport through water and food systems [13,40]. Climate change acts as a risk multiplier for lead exposure, reinforcing environmental health inequities. Integrating climate-sensitive exposure pathways into environmental surveillance and One Health–oriented public health policies is essential to reduce future lead-related disease burdens [35–38]. This review provides an integrated bibliometric and conceptual framework to support climate-sensitive lead surveillance and policy development.