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Miss Megan Deeney

Research Fellow

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
United Kingdom

I am a Research Fellow and doctoral student in the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme, within the Nutrition Group at LSHTM.

I work at the intersection of evironmental and public health research, and at the science-policy interface of plastics pollution and planetary health. My doctoral research explores the effect of greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants and chemicals released across plastics life cycles on global human health, over time and under different policy scenarios. I work with Life Cycle Assessment and other mass balance models for estimating the impacts of chemical toxicity on human health. I have recently completed a research project comprising a global screening and health impact assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals present in building materials, household products, children's toys, personal care products and food packaging.

I have co-led large-scale evidence syntheses, including evidence and gap maps, scoping reviews and systematic reviews with quantitative meta-anlyses. This includes systheses across diverse themes such as (1) plastics used throughout food systems and their effects on the environment, food security and human health, (2) the environmental and health effects of circular economies of food system plastics, and (3) on the links between food systems, food and nutrition security and mental health.

I completed my Master's degree in Nutrition for Global Health at LSHTM in 2018.

Affiliations

Department of Population Health
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health

Centres

Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health

Teaching

I co-organise the Maternal and Child Nutrition core module for the Nutrition for Global Health MSc at LSHTM

Research

I am interested in research that bridges disciplines to better understand the interconnections between the natural environment, anthropogenic drivers of environmental degradation, and human health and wellbeing. In particular, I am interested in exploring ways in which we can redirect or reimagine safer and more sustainable global systems that protect and promote the health and wellbeing of people and planet.

 

Generating and translating research for policy is a central focus of my work at the science-policy interface and I am deeply interested in exploring strategies for strengthening communiation and collaboraion in this space.

Research Area
Global Health
Environment
Environmental Health
Modelling

Selected Publications

The Lancet Countdown on health and plastics.
Landrigan, PJ; Dunlop, S; Treskova, M; Raps, H; Symeonides, C; Muncke, J; Spring, M; Stegeman, J; Almroth, BC; Chiles, TC; Cropper, M; DEENEY, M; Fuller, L; Geyer, R; Karasik, R; Mafira, T; Mangwiro, A; Matias, DM; Mulders, Y; Park, Y; Velis, CA; Vermeulen, R; Wagner, M; Wang, Z; Whitman, EM; ... Rocklöv, J.
2025
Lancet (London, England)
Scientists' Coalition perspectives on articles of the Chair's Text
Farrelly, T; Brander, S; Grilli, N; O’Meara, N; Jones, WC; DEENEY, M; Syberg, K; Arias, A; Dignac, M-F; Wagner, M; Mihai, F; Carney Almroth, B; Thompson, R; Ghiglione, J-F; Muncke, J; Sparks, C;
2025
Cambridge Prisms: Plastics
Human health evidence in the global treaty to end plastic pollution: a survey of policy perspectives
DEENEY, M; YATES, J; KADIYALA, S; Cousin, X; Dignac, M-F; Wang, M; Farrelly, T; GREEN, R;
2025
Cambridge Prisms: Plastics
Plastics matter in the food system.
YATES, J; DEENEY, M; Muncke, J; Carney Almroth, B; Dignac, M-F; Castillo, AC; Courtene-Jones, W; KADIYALA, S; Kumar, E; Stoett, P; Wang, M; Farrelly, T;
2025
Communications earth & environment
Ending pollution and health harms from plastics.
DEENEY, M; YATES, J; Banner, J; KADIYALA, S;
2025
BMJ (Clinical research ed.)
A toxic relationship: ultra-processed foods & plastics.
YATES, J; KADIYALA, S; DEENEY, M; Carriedo, A; Gillespie, S; Heindel, JJ; Maffini, MV; Martin, O; Monteiro, CA; Scheringer, M; Touvier, M; Muncke, J;
2024
Globalization and health
Global Health Impacts of Addressing the Plastic Pollution Crisis: A Life Cycle Approach
DEENEY, M; Hamelin, L; Vialle, C; Yan, X; Green, R; YATES, J; KADIYALA, S;
2023
Elsevier BV
Centring human health in the global plastics treaty: a call to action.
DEENEY, M; YATES, J; GREEN, R; KADIYALA, S;
2022
BMJ global health
A systematic scoping review of environmental, food security and health impacts of food system plastics.
YATES, J; DEENEY, M; Rolker, HB; White, H; Kalamatianou, S; KADIYALA, S;
2021
Nature Food
Human health evidence in the global treaty to end plastic pollution: a survey of policy perspectives
DEENEY, M; YATES, J; KADIYALA, S; Cousin, X; Dignac, M-F; Wang, M; Farrelly, T; GREEN, R;
2025
Cambridge Prisms: Plastics
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