Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026
09:08
Developing a Salivary Antibody Multiplex Immunoassay to Measure Human Exposure to Environmental Pathogens
Published on: September 12, 2016
9.1K
Environmental exposures and cancer: using the precautionary principle
Lorenzo Cohen1,2, Alison Jefferies2
1Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, Section of Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Ecancermedicalscience
|July 9, 2019
Summary
Most commercial chemicals lack safety evaluations for cancer risk. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) disrupt hormones, potentially increasing long-term disease susceptibility, necessitating consumer vigilance and the Precautionary Principle.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Over 87,000 chemicals are in commercial use, but only about 1,000 have been assessed for carcinogenic potential.
- A significant portion of assessed chemicals are classified on a scale from "known" to "possibly" carcinogenic.
- Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) represent a growing area of research, distinct from direct carcinogens.
Discussion:
- EDCs interfere with hormone production and metabolism by mimicking, enhancing, or altering natural hormonal actions.
- Unlike direct carcinogens (e.g., asbestos), EDCs may create biological conditions over time that increase susceptibility to diseases, including cancer.
- Widespread exposure to a mixture of environmental toxins occurs daily at low levels.
Key Insights:
- The limited regulation and assessment of commercial chemicals place the onus on consumers to minimize exposure.
- Consumers must actively read labels and make informed choices to reduce contact with potentially harmful toxins.
- The Precautionary Principle, advocating avoidance of untested chemicals, is crucial for personal health management.
Outlook:
- Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term health impacts of low-level EDC exposure.
- Stricter regulatory frameworks for chemical safety assessments are essential.
- Public awareness and education on chemical risks and safe practices are vital for mitigating exposure.
Related Concept Videos
04:08The Uncertainty Principle
31.4K
Werner Heisenberg considered the limits of how accurately one can measure properties of an electron or other microscopic particles. He determined that there is a fundamental limit to how accurately one can measure both a particle’s position and its momentum simultaneously. The more accurate the measurement of the momentum of a particle is known, the less accurate the position at that time is known and vice versa. This is what is now called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. He...
31.4K
01:49Hardy-Weinberg Principle
76.1K
Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.
76.1K
03:06The Pauli Exclusion Principle
59.0K
The arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom is called its electron configuration. We describe an electron configuration with a symbol that contains three pieces of information:
59.0K
03:02The Aufbau Principle and Hund's Rule
72.3K
To determine the electron configuration for any particular atom, we can build the structures in the order of atomic numbers. Beginning with hydrogen, and continuing across the periods of the periodic table, we add one proton at a time to the nucleus and one electron to the proper subshell until we have described the electron configurations of all the elements. This procedure is called the aufbau principle, from the German word aufbau (“to build up”). Each added electron occupies the...
72.3K
02:27Le Chatelier's Principle: Changing Concentration
65.3K
A system at equilibrium is in a state of dynamic balance, with forward and reverse reactions taking place at equal rates. If an equilibrium system is subjected to a change in conditions that affects these reaction rates differently (a stress), then the rates are no longer equal and the system is not at equilibrium. The system will subsequently experience a net reaction in the direction of a greater rate (a shift) that will re-establish the equilibrium. This phenomenon is summarized by Le...
65.3K
01:13Archimedes' Principle
13.3K
Archimedes' principle states that an upward buoyant force exerted on a body that is immersed partially or entirely in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by it. To understand how much buoyant force is needed to make an object float, let us think about what happens when a submerged object is removed from a fluid. If the object were not in the fluid, the space occupied by the object would be filled by the fluid having a weight wfl. This weight is supported by the...
13.3K