BGU Research Reveals How Air, Water, and Climate Influence Public Health
July 17, 2026
Current events, Medical Research
Prof. Lena Novack at Soroka Medical Center (Photo credit: Dina Frenkel)
The Jerusalem Post—Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Professor Lena Novack, an environmental epidemiologist at Soroka Medical Center, is leading research that examines how everyday environmental factors—from air pollution and drinking water to climate conditions and agricultural practices—affect public health across Israel. Prof. Novack views environmental epidemiology as a means to uncover hidden health risks before they become widespread, enabling researchers to influence policy and improve health outcomes at the national level. “It means you take everything in the environment and test how it impacts us,” Novack said. “We actually do everything.”
Prof. Novack, who earned three degrees at BGU before returning to join both the University and Soroka Medical Center, combines clinical medicine with large-scale data analysis to address real-world health challenges. Her multidisciplinary laboratory, NEHRI—a joint initiative of BGU and Soroka—studies a wide range of environmental factors, including air pollution, extreme heat, dust storms, drinking water quality, and pesticide exposure. Rather than focusing solely on publishing scientific papers, the team works to ensure its findings can inform government regulations and public health decisions.
Among the lab’s most impactful projects was a nationwide study analyzing heavy metals in nearly 6,000 blood donor samples. While the research found that heavy metal levels in Israel were generally moderate compared with those in Europe and the United States, it also identified regional differences, including higher chromium and lead levels in Haifa Bay and higher arsenic and cadmium concentrations in Tel Aviv. The findings were presented to the Knesset and contributed to renewed discussions about reducing industrial pollution in Haifa Bay. Another major study is examining whether the lack of magnesium in Israel’s desalinated drinking water may contribute to cardiovascular disease. “Once we show it with statistical evidence,” Novack explained, “you put this on the table for the Ministry of Health.”
For Prof. Novack, the ultimate goal of environmental epidemiology is prevention rather than treatment. By identifying environmental risk factors and translating scientific evidence into public policy, her research has the potential to improve the health of entire populations. “When you think about the impact, that makes it exciting. When you think about the purpose, it helps,” she said, reflecting the mission that continues to drive her work at BGU and Soroka Medical Center.
