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Environmental Exposure Science and Human Health

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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH)
Authors:
  • Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB)

Abstract

Human health and environmental exposure form an inseparable binomial [...]
Citation: Lavezzi, A.M.;
Ramos-Molina, B. Environmental
Exposure Science and Human Health.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023,
20, 5764. https://doi.org/10.3390/
ijerph20105764
Received: 28 April 2023
Accepted: 5 May 2023
Published: 9 May 2023
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
International Journal of
Environmental Research
and Public Health
Editorial
Environmental Exposure Science and Human Health
Anna M. Lavezzi 1, * and Bruno Ramos-Molina 2, *
1“Lino Rossi” Research Center for the Study and Prevention of Unexpected Perinatal Death and SIDS,
Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
2Obesity and Metabolism Laboratory, Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain
*Correspondence: anna.lavezzi@unimi.it (A.M.L.); bruno.ramos@imib.es (B.R.-M.)
1. Introduction
Human health and environmental exposure form an inseparable binomial. Humans’
relationships with the environment are indeed a fundamental determinant of their state of
health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), among the environmental
factors that pose the greatest risk to human health are: air pollution, heavy metals (such
as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury), dioxins, pesticides and benzene [
1
]. Due to
their degradation resistance, these and many other toxic pollutants may remain in our
environments for a long time, both in confined (“indoor”) and open (“outdoor”) spaces,
and can easily enter the body. The permanent absorption of these pollutants through
inhalation, ingestion and/or direct skin contact can cause bioaccumulation in many tis-
sues [
2
6
], leading to serious damage, especially related to cardiovascular and respiratory
pathologies, as well as cancer, obesity (and related metabolic disorders such as diabetes)
and neurodegenerative illness [
7
9
]. The WHO estimates that approximately 13 million
deaths annually are attributable to environmental exposure, of which over 7 million are re-
lated to air pollution alone, particularly that associated with fine particulate matter (PM2.5,
PM10) [
1
]. Numerous factors can be taken into consideration regarding damage to human
health caused by environmental pollution, particularly during the most vulnerable stages
of life, such as early childhood and pregnancy. Some of these factors are mentioned in the
following sections.
2. Adverse Outcomes of Environmental Pollutants in Young Children
Adverse pollution-related impacts are more frequent in children in the first months of
life than in adults. According to the WHO, more than 33% of cases in children under 5 occur
due to environmental causes [
1
]. The greater susceptibility to pollutants in early childhood
is most likely due to the fact that young children’s physiological detoxification mechanisms
for the removal of xenobiotics from the body are not yet fully developed, giving rise to
various diseases, including metabolic disorders such as obesity. In particular, a growing
body of evidence has shown that some chemical toxins, known as “obesogens”, are capable
of interfering with lipid homeostasis and adipocyte physiology, promoting obesity in
children, a pathology that has reached epidemic levels in developed countries [10].
Furthermore, the high incidence of tumors at this age cannot be attributed, as is often
the case for adults, to poor lifestyle choices (alcohol assumption, smoking, etc.), as these
are incompatible with early childhood; rather, it is often attributed to the trans-placental
passage of toxic substances in the prenatal period or through the mother’s milk in the first
months of life [1114].
It is important to underline that today, the fetal developmental phase is considered the
most crucial stage in the development of health conditions not only in childhood, but also
in adulthood, which is why we often speak of the “fetal origin of adult diseases” [
15
]. In
particular, it has been shown that exposure to toxic substances during early childhood may
affect the lungs, resulting in the potential development of asthma, pneumonia or chronic
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023,20, 5764. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20105764 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023,20, 5764 2 of 6
pulmonary disease [
16
,
17
]. These findings are of particular concern, and are well-aligned
with WHO’s reports stating that more than 90% of children are breathing toxic air daily [
18
].
2.1. Xenobiotic Chemical Damage to the Maternal–Fetal Unit
Although the protective ability of the placenta toward the fetus is well known, numer-
ous studies have shown that several toxic substances with which a pregnant woman comes
into contact are able to easily cross this barrier and enter the bloodstream of the fetus, with
consequent repercussions for its development and for the state of the child’s health after
birth [
19
,
20
]. Among the xenobiotics to which fetuses may be exposed as a consequence
of transplacental passage, the most common are pharmaceuticals, nicotine and cotinine
(markers of tobacco smoke), and chemical substances such as pesticides [
19
23
]. These
can induce greater toxicity in the fetus than in the mother due to the poor development of
the prenatal detoxification system. This could lead to fetal growth delay, congenital heart
defects and adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, or even
unexpected perinatal death [2427].
2.2. Pollutants in Breast Milk
Maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and after delivery can lead to
increased concentrations of pollutants (such as dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls,
DDT, heavy metals and organochlorine pesticides) in breast milk [
28
]. Additionally, when
pollutants are absorbed through the mother’s milk, consequences can occur not only in the
short term, but also in later years; this increases the risk of the onset of chronic pathologies,
mainly in the infant.
2.3. Maternal Smoking in Pre- and Postnatal Life
Tobacco smoke contains over 5300 compounds, including more than 70 substances that
the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified as type 1 carcinogens
(i.e., carcinogenic to humans) [
29
]. Despite the potentially serious harmful effects of these
substances, many women continue to smoke both during pregnancy and after delivery.
This habit deserves particular attention, since as frequently documented in the literature,
it can be associated not only with adverse fetal outcomes (such as growth retardation,
preterm birth, low birth weight and stillbirth), but also with pathologies related to the
infant’s respiratory system, obesity, attention deficit disorder and autism.
Carbon monoxide (CO), one of the agents that is primarily responsible for the adverse
effects of cigarette smoke if a mother smokes during pregnancy, readily passes through
the placenta, either via passive diffusion or by binding to a specific carrier [
30
]. Once it
enters the fetal bloodstream, CO binds to hemoglobin, resulting in carboxyhemoglobin.
This complex is unable to release oxygen into the fetal tissues, causing systemic hypoxia
with consequent delayed maturation in all the organs, especially those most susceptible to
hypoxic damage, including the brain [3032].
Cigarette smoking can also alter the composition of breast milk, reducing the intake of
long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids and docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA), which are important for the child’s visual and neurological development. The
milk of women who smoke is also low in iodine (which is essential for the formation of
thyroid hormones in infants), vitamins (especially vitamin C) and antioxidant factors, thus
decreasing protection of the infant against infectious agents [3336].
3. Anthropogenic Chemical Pollution
Anthropogenic chemical pollution refers to contamination of the natural environment
by chemicals produced during human activity. These chemicals can be released into the air,
water or soil, and can have a variety of negative impacts on human health [37].
One of the most common sources of anthropogenic chemical pollution is the use of
pesticides [
38
]. These pollutants, when released into the environment, can contaminate
food, water and soil. Industrial processes are another important source of anthropogenic
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023,20, 5764 3 of 6
chemicals, many of which are released into the environment during the manufacturing
process. The pharmaceutical industry is particularly responsible for emissions of volatile
organic compounds, which easily evaporate into the air; as such, they contribute to the
formation of smog and ground-level ozone, both of which can severely harm human health.
Damage can also be caused by the use of pharmaceuticals themselves, as they are often
excreted in the urine, thus contaminating wastewater. Pharmaceuticals can also be released
into the environment through landfill and incinerators.
In recent decades, researchers have also acknowledged the fundamental toxic role of
nanomaterials (i.e., ultrafine particles with dimensions under 100 nm), which are widely
used in biomedicine, biotechnology and the environmental industry [
39
,
40
]. Therefore,
nanotechnology, which are increasingly employed due to their potential in the creation
of new therapies and diagnostic tools, could be considered a serious hazard to human
health [41].
Some of the most common effects of anthropogenic chemical pollution on human
health include respiratory pathologies (such as asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia), cancer,
birth defects, neurological problems, immune system alterations and endocrine disruption.
Endocrine disruptors, which consist of a vast, heterogeneous group of molecules and/or
mixtures of environmental toxic substances that can alter the normal hormonal functionality
of the endocrine system, deserve particular attention.
4. Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals (EDCs)
Endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs), regardless of their chemical nature, have the
ability to interfere with the natural biological function of hormones by enabling, disabling
or modifying their signals, thus leading to a wide range of specific pathologies (such
as infertility, metabolic alterations, immune deficiencies, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes
mellitus and hormone-dependent tumors) [42,43].
Pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plasticizers and many other industrial prod-
ucts belong to this group. Examples of endocrine disruptors include:
Bisphenol A (BPA), which occurs in some food storage containers;
Dioxin, which is mainly produced during production processes involving the burning
of specific substances and in the initial stages of waste combustion;
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), which are used in non-stick coatings;
Phthalates, which are used to make plastics more pliable;
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are mainly present in transformers and lubricants;
Triclosan, which is found in many antibacterial products;
Pesticides used in agriculture (e.g., organochlorine, organophosphate and carbamate
pesticides);
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, which are mixtures of chemicals that are added to a
wide variety of products to make them less flammable.
Some of these EDCs (e.g., BPA, phthalates or dioxins) are known as obesogens due to
their ability to promote obesity [10].
EDCs also include several synthetic chemicals with which we may come into contact
every day, as they occur in personal care and/or household cleaning products, vast quanti-
ties of which are released on the market every year. Furthermore, it is well known that a
minority of these products have been tested for health effects [44].
5. Gene–Environment Interactions
The study of the interaction of an individual’s genetic constitution with various
environmental factors represents one of the most promising current research areas for
understanding many multifactorial and chronic pathologies, such as cancer, obesity and
neurodegenerative diseases [
45
,
46
]. In-depth molecular research on the interaction between
DNA and the environment could lead to the identification of predictive therapeutic and
prognostic biomarkers, and therefore, individuals most at risk of health problems in the
general population.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023,20, 5764 4 of 6
In conclusion, common chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, dia-
betes and obesity, can result from repeated exposure to pollutants over time, in addition
to being related to individual genetic constitution. The protection of human health from
the effects of environmental exposure is a serious public health concern. Understand how
individual pollutants interact with the biological processes of our cells is crucial to the
development of effective prevention and intervention strategies. Environmental Exposure
Science (EES) is a new scientific discipline that focuses on studying the relationship between
the environment and human health [
47
]. This science encompasses a range of scientific
disciplines, including toxicology, epidemiology, environmental chemistry, exposure as-
sessment and risk assessment. EES has two primary goals: (1) to understand how toxic
pollutants affect human health and (2) to prevent or reduce contact with these harmful
stressors, and thus, improve public health. EES research primarily aims to determine
the types, levels and combinations of exposure that people encounter, and the resulting
diseases they develop throughout their lives. For the purposes of developing EES research,
this Special Issue, entitled “Environmental Exposure Science and Human Health” aims
to collect the most innovative research in this field. These contributions should provide
impetus to the coordination of global efforts to promote healthy environments.
Funding:
B.R.-M. was supported by the “Miguel Servet Type I” program (CP19/00098, Institute of
Health Carlos III, Spain; co-funded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)).
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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This resource codifies the knowledge base and offers an authoritative and comprehensive guide to the important new field of children's environmental health. Edited by two internationally recognized pioneers in the area, it presents up-to-date information on the chemical, biological, physical, and societal hazards that confront children in today's world: pesticides, indoor and outdoor air pollution, lead, arsenic, phthalates, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants, ionizing radiation, electromagnetic fields, and the built environment. It presents carefully documented data on rising rates of disease in children, offers a critical summary of new research linking pediatric disease with environmental exposures, and explores the cellular, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying diseases of environmental origin.
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Healthcare, as a basic human right, has often become the focus of the development of innovative technologies. Technological progress has significantly contributed to the provision of high-quality, on-time, acceptable, and affordable healthcare. Advancements in nanoscience have led to the emergence of a new generation of nanostructures. Each of them has a unique set of properties that account for their astonishing applications. Since its inception, nanotechnology has continuously affected healthcare and has exerted a tremendous influence on its transformation, contributing to better outcomes. In the last two decades, the world has seen nanotechnology taking steps towards its omnipresence and the process has been accelerated by extensive research in various healthcare sectors. The inclusion of nanotechnology and its allied nanocarriers/nanosystems in medicine is known as nanomedicine, a field that has brought about numerous benefits in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Various nanosystems have been found to be better candidates for theranostic purposes, in contrast to conventional ones. This review paper will shed light on medically significant nanosystems, as well as their applications and limitations in areas such as gene therapy, targeted drug delivery, and in the treatment of cancer and various genetic diseases. Although nanotechnology holds immense potential, it is yet to be exploited. More efforts need to be directed to overcome these limitations and make full use of its potential in order to revolutionize the healthcare sector in near future.
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Anthropogenic chemical pollution has the potential to pose one of the largest environmental threats to humanity, but global understanding of the issue remains fragmented. This article presents a comprehensive perspective of the threat of chemical pollution to humanity, emphasising male fertility, cognitive health and food security. There are serious gaps in our understanding of the scale of the threat and the risks posed by the dispersal, mixture and recombination of chemicals in the wider environment. Although some pollution control measures exist they are often not being adopted at the rate needed to avoid chronic and acute effects on human health now and in coming decades. There is an urgent need for enhanced global awareness and scientific scrutiny of the overall scale of risk posed by chemical usage, dispersal and disposal.
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Due to the highly evolved industrialization and modernization, air quality has deteriorated in most countries. As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is now considered as one of the major threats to global health and a principal risk factor for noncommunicable diseases. Meanwhile, the increasing worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity is attracting more public attentions. Recently, accumulating epidemiological studies have provided evidence that overweight and obesity may be partially attributable to environmental exposure to air pollution. This review summarizes the epidemiological evidence for the correlation between exposure to various outdoor and indoor air pollutants (mainly particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) and overweight and obesity outcomes in recent years. Moreover, it discusses the multiple effects of air pollution during exposure periods throughout life and sex differences in populations. This review also describes the potential mechanism underlying the increased risk of obesity caused by air pollution, including inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic imbalance, intestinal flora disorders and epigenetic modifications. Finally, this review proposes macro- and micro-measures to prevent the negative effects of air pollution exposure on the obesity prevalence.
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