Environment & Exposome
18 terms
- Alcohol (and biological aging)
Alcohol (ethanol, C₂H₅OH) is a Group 1 human carcinogen whose chronic exposure accelerates biological aging through multiple molecular mechanisms. Ethanol is oxidized to…
- Chronic psychological stress
Chronic psychological stress is a sustained state of perceived threat or demand that persistently activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in prolonged…
- Endocrine disruptors (BPA, phthalates)
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous substances that interfere with hormone synthesis, transport, receptor binding or metabolism; bisphenol A (BPA) and its…
- Exposome
The exposome is the totality of environmental exposures an individual encounters from conception to death — spanning chemical, physical, biological, lifestyle, and social factors…
- Green Space Exposure (incl. Shinrin-yoku)
Green space exposure denotes proximity to or time spent in vegetated environments — urban parks, street trees, or forests — including the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku…
- Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg)
Lead, cadmium and inorganic mercury are the heavy metals most consistently associated with chronic low-level human exposure and adverse health outcomes in epidemiological…
- Indoor Air Quality and VOCs
Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the chemical, biological and physical composition of air inside buildings, where adults in industrialised countries spend ~90% of their time.…
- Light pollution / circadian disruption
Artificial light at night (ALAN) — from street lighting, screens and indoor illumination — suppresses melatonin secretion via intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells…
- Microplastics
Microplastics are solid plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, encompassing nanoplastics at the sub-micron scale, originating from the fragmentation of larger plastic debris,…
- Mold and Mycotoxins
Indoor fungal contamination — most often Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus and Penicillium species — develops where building dampness persists, and can release viable spores,…
- Noise Pollution
Environmental noise pollution refers to unwanted sound from road, rail, aircraft and industrial sources. Chronic exposure raises cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through…
- PFAS (forever chemicals)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals characterised by extremely stable carbon-fluorine bonds, resulting in environmental…
- PM2.5 (fine particulate matter)
PM2.5 refers to airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, arising predominantly from combustion sources — vehicle exhaust, power generation,…
- Radon Exposure
Radon-222 is a colourless, odourless, naturally occurring radioactive noble gas formed by uranium-238 decay in soils and rocks; it accumulates in basements and ground-floor rooms…
- Shift work and circadian misalignment
Shift work — any schedule displacing working hours outside the conventional 07:00–18:00 window, including fixed night shifts and rotating patterns — chronically misaligns…
- Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDoH) are the non-medical conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age — income, education, employment quality, housing,…
- Tobacco smoking (accelerated aging)
Tobacco smoking is one of the strongest known modifiable accelerators of biological aging, acting through at least three converging mechanisms: epigenetic reprogramming via…
- UV Radiation and Photoaging
Photoaging is the cumulative dermatological damage caused by chronic exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, distinct from intrinsic chronoaging. UVA (320–400 nm)…