Question
Asked 13 February 2025

Is there any genotoxicity studies done for human caused by environmental stressors generated by climate change?

Genotoxicity assessment, Toxins, Particulate matters, allergens, heat waves, Climate change, human health, chromosome aberration

All Answers (3)

Raghad Mouhamad
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Yes, studies have investigated the genotoxic effects of environmental stressors, intensified by climate change, on human health. These stressors include toxins, particulate matter, allergens, and heat waves, all of which can lead to DNA damage and chromosomal aberrations.
1. Genotoxicity from Environmental Pollutants:Research has shown that exposure to environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals and industrial chemicals, can cause DNA damage. For instance, the micronucleus test (MNT) is widely used to assess genotoxicity by detecting chromosomal instability in human lymphocytes exposed to these contaminants.
2. Climate Change and Increased Exposure:Climate change exacerbates the release and distribution of environmental pollutants. A study highlighted the global overlap of toxic pollution and climate-induced health risks, emphasizing the compounded threat to human health.
3. Particulate Matter and DNA Damage:Increased particulate matter from wildfires and industrial emissions, intensified by climate change, has been linked to genotoxic effects. These particles can penetrate respiratory systems, leading to oxidative stress and DNA damage.
4. Allergens and Genotoxicity:Climate change influences the distribution and potency of allergens, potentially leading to increased exposure. While direct genotoxic effects of allergens are less studied, chronic inflammation from allergen exposure can result in DNA damage over time.
5. Heat Waves and Cellular Stress:Rising global temperatures and frequent heat waves cause cellular stress, leading to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Elevated ROS levels can damage DNA, resulting in mutations and chromosomal aberrations.
6. Combined Effects:The interaction of multiple stressors, such as heat and pollution, can have synergistic genotoxic effects. For example, combined exposure to nickel and elevated temperatures has been shown to alter gene expression related to stress responses.
In summary, environmental stressors intensified by climate change pose significant genotoxic risks to human health. Ongoing research aims to further elucidate these effects and develop strategies to mitigate associated health risks.
1 Recommendation
Dragan Ugrinov
University Business Academy in Novi Sad, European Faculty "Kallos" Belgrade
Yes, there are some studies that have investigated genotoxicity caused by environmental stressors resulting from climate change. Genotoxicity refers to damage to genetic material, which can lead to mutations, cancer, or other health issues. Climate change can affect humans and the environment in various ways, and some of the stressors that can lead to genotoxic effects include:
1. Increased Temperature:
Rising temperatures, which are a result of climate change, can increase levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Exposure to UV radiation is known to be one of the major factors that can cause genetic damage in human cells, leading to mutations and skin cancer.
2. Air Quality (Heating and Aerosols):
Warming and increased industrial activity lead to higher concentrations of aerosols and pollutants in the air (e.g., nitrogen oxides, ozone, and particulate matter). These pollutants can induce oxidative stress in cells, which can damage DNA and lead to genotoxic effects.
3. Natural Disasters (Floods, Droughts, Storms):
Frequent natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and storms, which are becoming more common due to climate change, can lead to increased exposure to toxins and pollutants. For example, floods can release toxic chemicals from the soil, and droughts can increase pollutant levels in the air. Exposure to these toxins can lead to genetic damage.
4. Increased Levels of Pollutants in Soil and Water:
Climate change also affects the chemical dynamics of water and soil systems. Rising water temperatures and changes in chemistry can lead to the release of harmful chemicals that are toxic to the human body and can have genotoxic effects.
Studies investigating these effects:
Several studies have focused on the impact of climate change on health, including genotoxic effects. For example, some studies have shown that increased aerosols and air pollutants can cause oxidative stress, which leads to DNA damage. Additionally, research has shown that ultraviolet radiation, which is increased as a result of climate change, can affect human genetic material.
Although such research is still developing, and more detailed data and long-term studies are needed to confirm the exact mechanisms of these effects, there is enough evidence to suggest that climate change and the stressors arising from it may have potentially harmful effects on human genetic material.
Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of these impacts and to develop more effective ways to protect human health from the potential genotoxic effects of climate change.
1 Recommendation
Salam Himika Devi
Manipur University
Thank you Prof. Dragan Ugrinov for providing the details I am overwhelmed by your act of kindness.

Similar questions and discussions

CO2 Leakage: A Matter of Concern?
Discussion
1 reply
  • Suresh Kumar GovindarajanSuresh Kumar Govindarajan
CO2 Leakage: A Matter of Concern?
1. If CO2 emission remains to be dangerous, then, CO2 leakage is not a concern?
2. Should CO2 migrate from the storage reservoir, multiple processes will attenuate the CO2, such that the likelihood of CO2 reaching the surface always remains to be low?
3. Did ‘CO2 injected at ZERT’ NOT arrive at the surface within ~5 h?
4. Were CO2 bubble streams NOT observed at QICS within 3 h of injection commencing?
5. Given the spatial and temporal distribution of CO2 degassing, is it NOT difficult to take continuous or detailed measurements of the seep site?
6. How about CO2 getting migrated beyond the initial monitoring boundaries and which makes it difficult to estimate the relative proportions of CO2 that leaked to surface, remained in soil gas or dissolved?
7. Whether, the loss of injected CO2 volume greater than 0.1% per year really negate any benefits from carbon geo-sequestration, highlighting the need for quick and accurate leak detection?
8. Whether, improperly sealed wellbores present the most likely pathways of CO2 leakage?
9. With moderate to high leakage risk from existing bore-wells in CCUS; and with variable seal risk from high formation pressures in CCS (CCS/CCUS being a low-risk method for long-term CO2 storage but not a zero-risk method); don’t we have a possibility of ending up with CO2 poisoning upon breathing air with 5% or more CO2 by volume?
10. Are we completely avoiding (a) areas with large numbers of old wells? (b) storage site areas having complex geo-mechanical attributes (c) areas with deteriorated seal rocks? And (d) areas with elevated formation pressure?
11. As of now, predominantly, whether, the studies from oil and gas industries remain to be more focused on loss of integrity rather than leaks (containing leak rates, probabilities and their duration)?
12. No possibility on the leakage of CO2 from transport pipelines, presenting a hazard to humans and animals in the area of the released gas cloud?
13. No possibility on the leakage of CO2 from the installation and from intermediate storage points?
14. No possibility on the leakage of CO2 from the CO2 storage tank in ports during sea transport?
15. In the absence of having details on True Abandoned Well Density; and also on the details of number of active wells that got converted into plugged and intact wells, how could we forecast, whether, we are going to have a continuous leakage or discrete leakage (either minor or major with blowouts) of CO2, following CO2 injection (as a function of number of injection wells and the area of the injected CO2 volume)?
16. How about a scenario, where, there is a sudden, fast and short-lived release of CO2 as would occur in the case of well failure during injection or spontaneous blowouts?
17. How about the local leakage scenario, where, the leak remains to be more gradual, and occurring along undetected faults, fractures or well linings? If such diffusive leakage remain undetected for prolonged periods of time, then, would it have the greatest potential to cause broad-scale environmental impacts?
18. If monitoring by remote sensing provides large coverage and rapid detection without the need for invasive or disruptive installations, then, whether, the existing spectroscopic methods suffer from absorption interference when attempting to detect CO2 directly from storage sites? Or, a ground surface deformation detection would be able to provide a precise leak location?
19. Feasible for a sudden depressurisation caused by a leak could result in a boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE), upon CO2 causing pipeline corrosion?
20. How about the CO2 leakage occurred in 1986 in Cameroon (not from a pipeline or industrial operation but from a lake)?
21. How about the magma chamber underneath Lake Nyos releasing 1.6m t of CO2 which killed more than 1,700 people, thousands of livestock, and destroyed trees and vegetation around the lake?
22. How about 15 t of CO2 release from a fire-extinguishing installation in Mönchengladbach in Germany in 1008 that spread outside into the still air intoxicating 107 people, 19 of whom were hospitalised?
23. How about the leak of CO2 from a pipeline operated by Denbury in the US in 2020 that hospitalised 45 people and led to the evacuation of residents from the nearby town of Satartia? [the likely cause being the pipeline rupturing by a landslide following heavy rains and the cloud of CO2 dissipated slowly because of local weather conditions and the contours of the surrounding land]
24. As on date, is there a standard unit for reporting CO2 release rates into the subsurface (mass or volume per unit time); and CO2 fluxes (CO2 leaked per unit area) from land surface or seabed to atmosphere or water column? Can we differentiate between CO2 release rates and CO2 fluxes in a typical CO2 storage site?
25. Upon CO2 injection into an aquifer, where brine containing not only extremely high salt levels but often heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and radioactive elements; whether, brine leaks, therefore, can be even more worrying than the escape of CO2?
Suresh Kumar Govindarajan, Professor [HAG]
IIT Madras 18-Dec-2024

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When considering the effects of climate change there are frequent references to increased temperatures, heat waves and the impact on human health. In the last few years a considerable amount of research has been undertaken, and show would uncover have suggested a human survivability threshold based on wet bulb temperature.
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