World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Richard T. Burnett

Richard T. Burnett

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Environmental Sciences
Canada
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Environmental Sciences

D-Index
127
Citations
117861
World Ranking
86
National Ranking
4

Medicine

D-Index
124
Citations
116677
World Ranking
3142
National Ranking
130

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in Canada Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in Canada Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Environmental Sciences in Canada Leader Award

Overview

Richard T. Burnett is affiliated with Health Canada in Canada and focuses on research within environmental science, with a specialization in health, toxicology, and mutagenesis. Their scholarly contributions cover various aspects of environmental impacts on health, particularly in relation to air quality and pollution.

Their prominent recent publications include:

  • The effect of air pollution on deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy across China and its provinces, 1990-2017: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (2020, The Lancet Planetary Health)
  • Source sector and fuel contributions to ambient PM2.5 and attributable mortality across multiple spatial scales (2021, Nature Communications)
  • Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study (2023, BMJ)
  • Air Pollution as a Risk Factor for Incident Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma. A 15-Year Population-based Cohort Study (2020, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine)
  • Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Cancer Incidence: Analysis of SEER Cancer Registry Data from 1992-2016 (2020, Environmental Health Perspectives)

The frequent coauthors collaborating with Burnett include:

  • Randall V. Martin
  • Aaron van Donkelaar
  • Scott Weichenthal
  • Hong Chen
  • Éric Lavigne

Their research is regularly published in scientific venues such as:

  • Environmental Research
  • Environment International
  • ISEE Conference Abstracts
  • Environmental Health Perspectives
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Main research fields explored by Burnett are:

  • Environmental Science

Subfields of particular focus include:

  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
  • Pollution
  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Speech and Hearing

The core topics addressed in their body of work include:

  • Air Quality and Health Impacts
  • Climate Change and Health Impacts
  • Energy and Environment Impacts
  • Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting
  • Noise Effects and Management
  • Global Health Care Issues
  • COVID-19 impact on air quality

Best Publications

  • Lung Cancer, Cardiopulmonary Mortality, and Long-term Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution

    C. Arden Pope;Richard T. Burnett;Michael J. Thun;Eugenia E. Calle

  • A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

    Stephen S. Lim;Theo Vos;Abraham D. Flaxman;Goodarz Danaei

  • Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

    Christopher J.L. Murray;Christopher J.L. Murray;Christopher J.L. Murray;Aleksandr Y. Aravkin;Aleksandr Y. Aravkin;Aleksandr Y. Aravkin;Peng Zheng;Peng Zheng;Peng Zheng;Cristiana Abbafati;Cristiana Abbafati;Cristiana Abbafati

  • Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

    Mohammad H Forouzanfar;Lily Alexander;H Ross Anderson;Victoria F Bachman

  • Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

    Theo Vos;Ryan M. Barber;Brad Bell;Amelia Bertozzi-Villa

  • Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015

    Aaron J Cohen;Michael Brauer;Richard Burnett;H Ross Anderson

  • Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

    Jeffrey D. Stanaway;Ashkan Afshin;Emmanuela Gakidou;Stephen S. Lim

  • Cardiovascular Mortality and Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution Epidemiological Evidence of General Pathophysiological Pathways of Disease

    C. Arden Pope;Richard T. Burnett;George D. Thurston;Michael J. Thun

  • Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013

    Mohammad H. Forouzanfar;Lily Alexander;H. Ross Anderson;Victoria F. Bachman

  • Global estimates of mortality associated with long-term exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter

    Richard Burnett;Hong Chen;Mieczysław Szyszkowicz;Neal Fann

  • An Integrated Risk Function for Estimating the Global Burden of Disease Attributable to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Exposure

    Richard T. Burnett;C. Arden Pope;Majid Ezzati;Casey Olives

  • Long-Term Ozone Exposure and Mortality

    Michael Jerrett;Richard T. Burnett;C. Arden Pope;Kazuhiko Ito

  • Ambient Air Pollution Exposure Estimation for the Global Burden of Disease 2013

    Michael Brauer;Greg Freedman;Joseph Frostad;Aaron Van Donkelaar

  • Spatial analysis of air pollution and mortality in Los Angeles.

    Michael Jerrett;Richard T. Burnett;Renjun Ma;C. Arden Pope

  • Long-Term Ozone Exposure and Mortality in a Large Prospective Study

    Michelle C. Turner;Michael Jerrett;C. Arden Pope;Daniel Krewski

  • Exposure assessment for estimation of the global burden of disease attributable to outdoor air pollution.

    Michael Brauer;Markus Amann;Rick T. Burnett;Aaron Cohen

  • Effects of fossil fuel and total anthropogenic emission removal on public health and climate.

    J. Lelieveld;J. Lelieveld;K. Klingmüller;A. Pozzer;R. T. Burnett

  • Cardiovascular mortality and exposure to airborne fine particulate matter and cigarette smoke: shape of the exposure-response relationship.

    C. Arden Pope;Richard T. Burnett;Daniel Krewski;Michael Jerrett

  • It's about time: A comparison of Canadian and American time–activity patterns

    Judith A Leech;Judith A Leech;William C Nelson;Richard T Burnett;Shawn Aaron

  • Lung cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality associated with ambient air pollution and cigarette smoke: shape of the exposure-response relationships

    C. Arden Pope;Richard T. Burnett;Michelle C. Turner;Aaron Cohen

  • Living near major roads and the incidence of dementia, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study

    Hong Chen;Jeffrey C Kwong;Ray Copes;Karen Tu

Frequent Co-Authors

Randall V. Martin
Randall V. Martin Washington University in St. Louis
Mark S. Goldberg
Mark S. Goldberg McGill University
Daniel Krewski
Daniel Krewski University of Ottawa
Michael Jerrett
Michael Jerrett University of California, Los Angeles
Aaron van Donkelaar
Aaron van Donkelaar Washington University in St. Louis
C. Arden Pope
C. Arden Pope Brigham Young University
Jeffrey R. Brook
Jeffrey R. Brook University of Toronto
Eric Lavigne
Eric Lavigne University of Ottawa
Dan L. Crouse
Dan L. Crouse Health Effects Institute
Michael Brauer
Michael Brauer University of British Columbia

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