Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Midstream in A Revolution Linking Environment and Health: Environmental Health Sciences John Peterson Myers, PH.D
Midstream in A Revolution Linking Environment and Health: Environmental Health Sciences John Peterson Myers, PH.D
1
Today’s epidemics
Hormone-related cancers
Endometriosis
Learning disabilities, ADHD
Autism
Degenerative diseases
Pre-term birth
Obesity and diabetes
Asthma
Infertility
Environmental Health Sciences 3
MIDSTREAM IN A
SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
2
HEREDITY
GENES ENVIRONMENT
PHENOTYPE:
What we become
Environmental Health Sciences 5
HEREDITY
GENES ENVIRONMENT
Output of gene expression
PHENOTYPE:
What we become
Environmental Health Sciences 6
3
MIDSTREAM IN A
SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
4
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
Parkinson’s:
One of the hallmarks of PD is mida-brain
loss of dopaminergic neurons.
Studies of families have linked some
cases to specific gene mutations
Now research is focusing on what may
alter expression of specific genes
important to keeping mid-brain neurons
alive
5
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
At truly low
levels …
it interferes with
hormone signals
Environmental Health Sciences 12
6
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
VULNERABLE STAGES
Recommended
application level
1,000,000
ATRAZINE
10,000 Run-off
Midwest streams
Rivers
100 Safe short term
Surface water
Rain Safe for drinking water
1 Rain anywhere
7
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
BACKGROUND LEVELS
Background PCBs/dioxin in Dutch
mothers
Decrease immune function in toddlers
8
Bisphenol A exposure in
people at relevant levels is
widespread
Aneuploidy in people
9
What causes meiosis to lead
to aneuploidy?
Bisphenol A causes
aneuploidy
10
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
11
FETAL PROGRAMMING
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
12
MIXTURES ARE THE RULE
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
13
NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA
Interaction between contaminant
and virus
25
Risk ratio
20
15
Low
10 High
0
PCB E-B Virus PCB+EBV
HEALTH QUESTIONS
ABOUT BISPHENOL A
Impaired brain development
Aneuploidy
Prostate cancer
Low sperm count
Long-term memory formation
Weight control and obesity
Environmental Health Sciences 28
14
CONCEPTUAL SHIFTS
15
BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS
Bad news…
Widespread exposure to
compounds that interfere with
gene expression, sometimes at
extremely low levels.
Good news…
A disease under genetic control
may be one caused by
environmental exposures.
We will have the opportunity
to prevent many diseases that
heretofore have not been
perceived as preventable.
Environmental Health Sciences 32
16
BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS
Good news…
A disease under genetic control
may be one caused by
environmental exposures.
We have shown with lead and
POPs that society can decrease
exposures once it reaches
political consensus
Environmental Health Sciences 33
16
12
0
1974 1980 1986 1992 1998
Source: CDC. National Report on Human
Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, March 2001 Year
Environmental Health Sciences 34
17
NEXT CHALLENGE
Today’s epidemics
Hormone-related cancers
Endometriosis
Learning disabilities, ADHD
Autism
Degenerative diseases
Pre-term birth
Obesity and diabetes
Asthma
Infertility
Environmental Health Sciences 36
18
Environmental Health Sciences 37
Web resources
www.ProtectingOurHealth.org
www.OurStolenFuture.org
www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
19