Environmental Contributors to Chronic Kidney Disease: A Screening and Prevention Agenda for Nurse Practitioners

The effects of global air, land, and water pollution; climate change; and other environmental exposures are increasing and are recognized as critical and detrimental to human health. This article provides an overview of the current evidence linking climate change and environmental risk factors, including heat stress, air pollution, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and microplastics to the incidence of chronic kidney disease. Nurse practitioners (NPs) need to pay attention to these environmental and ecological determinants of health. As health care providers, NPs can play a pivotal role in mitigating these risks through understanding the exposures their communities are at risk for, comprehensive environmental health screening, and providing patient education on reducing exposures and advocacy. Equipping NPs with the knowledge to identify and mitigate these environmental risks is fundamental to protecting kidney health and reducing adverse outcomes.