Marine pollution and human health in Small Island Developing States (SIDS): A systematic review

The link between ocean and human health is increasingly gaining interest among researchers. There is a rapidly growing - yet still fragmented - body of evidence on marine pollution being a major threat to human health. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are more vulnerable and their health systems risk carrying the heaviest burden. From here, this systematic review aims to retrieve all known impacts of marine pollution on human health in SIDS. PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were consulted from inception to 2022, to identify risk factors (pollutants), sources, human exposure channels and relative health issues, in SIDS. Out of 17,264 records, 258 were eligible for full-text screening. From preliminary results, intoxications (especially Ciguatera Fish Poisoning - CFP), neurological effects and mental health issues are the most frequently cited health outcomes whereas ocean warming, metals, harmful algal blooms, and plastic are the most frequent risk factors. Findings confirm that the relationship between marine and human health in SIDS is as strong as its body of literature's growth. Some health-threatening factors are weakening SIDS’ socio-economic dimensions too. Geographically, the Caribbean and Pacific regions attract most interest. With CFP being predominant in the list of diseases, a relatively low amount of plastic-related articles was unexpectedly found, thus further searches will ensure no pertinent articles are missed. KEY MESSAGES: • The health threat posed by marine pollution to SIDS needs more monitoring and evidence. • Targeted agendas and successful pollution policies require interdisciplinary and cross-border collaboration.