Environmental Health Risks in Residential Settings: A Systematic Review of Indoor Air Pollution, Domestic Chemical Exposure, and Global Representation Inequities

Introduction Environmental health risks in homes are driven by indoor air pollution, contaminated dust/soil, and contaminated water, as well as the use of household chemicals, with unequal mitigation across different settings. Materials and Methods A PRISMA-guided Systematic Literature Review (SLR) synthesized 44 Scopus-indexed studies (Jan 2015–Mar 2025). We charted exposure types, research designs, populations, variables, and geography. Results Indoor air pollution was most frequent (25/44; 56.8%), followed by soil/dust (10/44; 22.7%), chemical exposure (4/44; 9.1%), water (3/44; 6.8%), and heat/climate stress (2/44; 4.5%). Studies were concentrated in Asia (68.2%) and Africa (15.9%); Latin America & the Caribbean, as well as Oceania, each accounted for 2.3%. Designs were dominated by experimental/field–lab studies (40.9%), with cohort/longitudinal studies being rare (4.5%). Populations most examined were urban residents (63.6%); vulnerable groups included children (22.7%), older adults (6.8%), and low-income families (6.8%). The most-analyzed variables were heavy metal concentration (25.0%) and air quality (22.7%). Conclusion The residential risk burden is primarily linked to the use of solid fuels, poor ventilation, and household chemical practices, with apparent geographic and methodological gaps. Priorities include clean-fuel transition, ventilation upgrades, targeted risk communication on chemicals, and broader community-based research—framed within the One Health framework to integrate health, environment, and social actions.