Date post: | 03-Jan-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | walter-hood |
View: | 217 times |
Download: | 1 times |
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.orgwww.OurStolenFuture.org
www.ProtectingOurHealth.org
Environmental Health SciencesJohn Peterson Myers, Ph.D.John Peterson Myers, Ph.D.
Midstream in a Revolution Midstream in a Revolution Linking Environment and HealthLinking Environment and Health
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Today’s epidemicsToday’s epidemics
Hormone-related cancers
Learning disabilities, ADHD
Pre-term birthObesity and diabetes
Asthma
Degenerative diseases
Infertility
Endometriosis
Autism
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
MIDSTREAM IN A MIDSTREAM IN A SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONSCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
This scientific revolution is causing profound changes in how we think about the links between contamination and human health.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
HEREDITY
ENVIRONMENTGENES
PHENOTYPE:What we become
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
HEREDITY
ENVIRONMENTGENES
Output of gene expression
PHENOTYPE:What we become
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
MIDSTREAM IN A MIDSTREAM IN A SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONSCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
By the time it is complete and fully incorporated into public health and medicine, its impacts will be as profound as that wrought by Pasteur’s germ theory.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Old…Old… a disease that is a disease that is linked to genes is a linked to genes is a disease under hereditary disease under hereditary control.control.New…New… a disease linked to a disease linked to genes is one vulnerable genes is one vulnerable to environmental causes. to environmental causes.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Old…Old… toxins work by toxins work by overwhelming the body’s overwhelming the body’s defenses…by brute force.defenses…by brute force.
New…New… toxins work by toxins work by hijacking control of gene hijacking control of gene expression. expression.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Parkinson’s:Parkinson’s:One of the hallmarks of PD is mid-One of the hallmarks of PD is mid-brain loss of dopaminergic neurons. brain loss of dopaminergic neurons.
Studies of families have linked Studies of families have linked some cases to specific gene some cases to specific gene mutationsmutationsNow research is focusing on what Now research is focusing on what may alter expression of specific may alter expression of specific genes important to keeping mid-genes important to keeping mid-brain neurons alivebrain neurons alive
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Parkinson’s:Parkinson’s:
Studies of families have Studies of families have linked some cases to linked some cases to specific gene mutationsspecific gene mutations
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
New…New… impacts at impacts at everyday levels…everyday levels… levels people had levels people had become accustomed to become accustomed to calling “normal,” calling “normal,” background levels.background levels.
Old…Old… only high levels only high levels mattermatter
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
ARSENIC: high vs. lowARSENIC: high vs. low
At truly low At truly low levels levels ……
it interferes it interferes with hormone with hormone signalssignals
At high levels… it kills people
At moderately low levels… it causes a range of diseases
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
New…New… children and the children and the developing fetus are most developing fetus are most at riskat risk
Old…Old… focus on adults focus on adults
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
0.1
1
100
1,000,000
10,000
VULNERABLE STAGESVULNERABLE STAGES
PPBPPB
Recommended application level
Hermaphroditic frogs
Safe for drinking water
Safe short term
Rain anywhere
Rain
Hayes Hayes et alet al. 2002. 2002
ATRAZINEATRAZINE
Surface water
Run-off
Midwest streamsRivers
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
New…New… impacts at impacts at everyday levels…everyday levels…
levels people had become levels people had become accustomed to calling accustomed to calling “normal,” background “normal,” background levels.levels.
Old…Old… only high levels only high levels mattermatter
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
BACKGROUND LEVELSBACKGROUND LEVELS
Decrease immune function in Decrease immune function in toddlerstoddlers
Impair cognitiveImpair cognitive developmentdevelopment
Background PCBs/dioxin in Background PCBs/dioxin in Dutch mothersDutch mothers
Alter play behavior of children… Alter play behavior of children… boys engaging in less masculine boys engaging in less masculine behaviors and girls more behaviors and girls more feminine.feminine.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Bisphenol A exposure in Bisphenol A exposure in people at relevant levels is people at relevant levels is widespreadwidespread
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Aneuploidy in peopleAneuploidy in people
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
What causes meiosis to What causes meiosis to lead to aneuploidy?lead to aneuploidy?
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Bisphenol A causes Bisphenol A causes aneuploidyaneuploidy
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Old…Old… the dose makes the the dose makes the poisonpoison
New…New… timing is crucial, timing is crucial, individual variation in individual variation in susceptibility important, and susceptibility important, and low doses can have effects low doses can have effects not predicted by high dose not predicted by high dose studies.studies.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Old…Old… immediate cause and immediate cause and effecteffect
New…New… long latencies long latencies following developmental following developmental exposure. exposure.
Fetal programming can Fetal programming can cause life-long impactscause life-long impacts
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
FETAL PROGRAMMINGFETAL PROGRAMMING
……fetal origins of adult diseasesfetal origins of adult diseases
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Old…Old… take chemicals one take chemicals one at a timeat a time
New…New… essential to consider essential to consider the mixtures in which they the mixtures in which they alwaysalways occur occur
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
MIXTURES ARE THE RULEMIXTURES ARE THE RULE
210 chemicals sampled:
Baltz: 106Brody: 85Hardin: 77Lerner: 101Martin: 95Moyers: 84Patton: 105Rome: 86Waletzky: 78
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Old…Old… traditional health traditional health endpoints... mutagenicity, endpoints... mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, cell deathcarcinogenicity, cell death
New…New… erosion of cognitive, erosion of cognitive, immunological and immunological and reproductive function. reproductive function.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
0
5
10
15
20
25
PCB E-B Virus PCB+EBV
LowHighR
isk
rati
o
Rothman et al. 1997
NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMANON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA
Interaction between contaminant and virus
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
HEALTH QUESTIONS HEALTH QUESTIONS ABOUT BISPHENOL AABOUT BISPHENOL A
Aneuploidy
Prostate cancer
Impaired brain development
Long-term memory formation
Weight control and obesity
Low sperm count
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTSCONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Old…Old… a small number of bad a small number of bad actorsactors
New…New… many chemicals many chemicals implicated we thought were implicated we thought were safe. safe.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
THE BAD ACTORSTHE BAD ACTORS
Old… Old… DDT, PCBs, dioxin, lead, DDT, PCBs, dioxin, lead, mercury and many moremercury and many more
New…New… “modern-use” “modern-use” pesticides likepesticides like atrazine, atrazine, plastics likeplastics like bisphenol A, bisphenol A, additives to plastics likeadditives to plastics like phthalates, brominated flame phthalates, brominated flame retardants, retardants, surfactants likesurfactants like nonylphenol.nonylphenol.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWSBAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS
Bad news…Bad news…
Widespread exposure to Widespread exposure to compounds that interfere compounds that interfere with gene expression, with gene expression, sometimes at extremely low sometimes at extremely low levels. levels.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWSBAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS
Good news…Good news…
A disease under genetic A disease under genetic control may be one caused control may be one caused by environmental by environmental exposures.exposures.We will have the opportunity We will have the opportunity to prevent many diseases to prevent many diseases that heretofore have not that heretofore have not been perceived as been perceived as preventable.preventable.
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWSBAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS
Good news…Good news…
A disease under genetic A disease under genetic control may be one caused control may be one caused by environmental by environmental exposures.exposures.We have shown with lead We have shown with lead and POPs that society can and POPs that society can decrease exposures once it decrease exposures once it reaches political consensusreaches political consensus
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
1974 1980 1986 1992
4
8
12
16
Blo
od
lead
levels
(m
g/d
L)
Blo
od
lead
levels
(m
g/d
L)
0
1998
Blood lead levels in the U.S.
YearYearSource: CDC. National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, March 2001
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
NEXT CHALLENGENEXT CHALLENGE
Identifying compounds that interfere with gene expression
Collaborative for Collaborative for Health and the EnvironmentHealth and the Environment
Incorporating this scientific revolution into a new generation of health standards
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Today’s epidemicsToday’s epidemics
Hormone-related cancers
Learning disabilities, ADHD
Pre-term birthObesity and diabetes
Asthma
Degenerative diseases
Infertility
Endometriosis
Autism
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Environmental Health SciencesEnvironmental Health Sciences
Web resourcesWeb resources
www.ProtectingOurHealth.org
www.OurStolenFuture.org
www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org