As many as nine million people (16% of all deaths worldwide) die each year as a result of air, water and soil pollution. Although there is extensive evidence that exposure to specific chemicals can lead to disease, the current research approach does not provide sufficient insight to intervene. In an article in the journal Science, Utrecht professor Roel Vermeulen and his international colleagues therefore call for a systematic approach, at a scale comparable to that of the human genome.
We live in an increasingly complex world when it comes to chemicals. The number of new chemicals has increased from 20 million in 2002 to 156 million last year. Many of these are ubiquitous in the world around us because of their continuous use. Pesticides, plastics, industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals are found in nature and in our food chain. And that has consequences. These chemicals can have unwanted side effects and cause disease. The figures are startling: research shows that at least nine million people die each year as a result of air, water and soil pollution.
GETTING A HOLD ON WHO GETS SICK AND WHO DOESN'T
When the human genome was unraveled, it brought about a revolution. However, genetic predisposition does not tell everything, external factors may play a more important role. The sum of all the environmental drivers of health and diseases is called the exposome: a combination of external factors such as chemicals in the air, water or food, and of internal components produced by our body in response to these factors. “To fully realize the potential of the human genome, it is necessary to have the complementary information on the environment. The exposome can provide that information”, says co-author Gary Miller, Columbia University, U.S.A.
Read more at Utrecht University
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