title: Human contamination by persistent toxic substances: the rationale to improve exposure assessment.
abstract: We know quite a lot about the generalized human contamination by environmental chemical agents; this statement is fully compatible with the view that most countries lack the necessary monitoring systems. We also know quite a lot about the toxic effects of environmental pollutants; this statement is fully compatible with the proposal that we need both more research and more energetic policies to decrease human contamination by such pollutants. Unsurprisingly, we know too little about the (environmental and social) causes and the etiopathogenesis (mechanisms) of the most prevalent diseases, and we will continue to miss relevant causes and mechanisms if we neglect the toxic chemicals that commonly contaminate humans, worldwide. Basic, clinical end environmental-epidemiological research on human health should more often consider integrating biomarkers of internal dose of environmental chemical pollutants. When we act in more responsible, rational, and scientific ways; when we become less dismissive towards environmental hazards; and when we thus neglect less the generalized human contamination by environmental chemical agents and their toxic effects, we will expand mechanistic biologic knowledge, and we shall as well increase the effectiveness of interventions and policies that enable the primary prevention of human diseases which cause huge amounts of economic burden and human suffering.
authors.affiliation: Hospital del Mar Institute of Medical Research (IMIM), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. mporta@imim.es.|School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. mporta@imim.es.|Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. mporta@imim.es.|CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. mporta@imim.es.
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Porta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009930:Organic Chemicals
keywords: Environmental exposure/adverse effects; Environmental pollutants/prevention and control; Health survey; Human biomonitoring; Persistent organic pollutants