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Toward Understanding the Interplay of Environmental Stressors, Infectious Diseases, and Human Health: Proceedings of a Workshop - in Brief
Pages 1-12

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From page 1...
... However, the relationships among human exposures to environmental pollution; rapid environmental change; and the emergence, spread, and persistence of infectious diseases are not yet well understood. Emerging findings suggest that exposure to environmental pollutants such as airborne particulate matter, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals may alter the immune system, increasing human susceptibility to infection.
From page 2...
... Birnbaum emphasized that carrying out research in basic sciences, translating research findings into knowledge and action, training people, and increasing scientific literacy also "have to work in an interactive way." Newman and Martin both discussed the importance of examining the interplay between environmental stressors and infectious diseases within the context of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (see Figure 1)
From page 3...
... Similarly, Gowdy has shown in her own work that mice exposed to diesel exhaust are more susceptible to infection by influenza virus.10 However, researchers still have not nailed down the exact m ­ olecular mechanisms for how exposure to air pollution increases human susceptibility to respiratory infections. 5 Heilmann, C., P
From page 4...
... Davis highlighted a 2010 publication she co-authored, which outlines evidence for expanding the environmental health toxicological paradigm.12 She explained that in the traditional environmental health paradigm "we think about how exposure to chemical toxicants will lead to clinical disease through a pathophysiologic mechanism." If infectious disease is included within that paradigm, the infectious agent is considered an "exposure," and immunology and infectious diseases dynamics within the host could be considered instead of pathophysiology. Davis also described how she carries out her work within a One Health framework, examining the interactions and feedback loops among environmental conditions, animal health, and human health.
From page 5...
... Molly Kile from Oregon State University discussed emerging epidemiologic evidence on the links between arsenic exposure and infectious diseases. Arsenic, which is ubiquitous in the environment, is immunotoxic, stated Kile.
From page 6...
... She noted research in New Hampshire18 and Bangladesh19 that show similar associations between arsenic exposure during pregnancy and increased risk of lower respiratory infection and diarrheal disease in children in their first year. Kile questioned whether children in places where arsenic exposure is common, such as Bangladesh, need to receive booster shots of vaccines to compensate for a suppressed immune response.
From page 7...
... Nations in Asia and Africa are likely to be most affected, with huge economic impacts. To address antibiotic resistance, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Organisation for Animal Health developed a manual to help countries create national action plans to fight antibiotic resistance.
From page 8...
... "We know nothing about exposure and can do little to protect workers." To solve this problem, he called for environmental health scientists to work with their colleagues in the infectious diseases space who have developed novel detection methods such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Maureen Lichtveld of Tulane University pointed out that communities impacted disproportionately by natural disasters suffer from historic health disparities and are more likely to face persistent environmental health threats.
From page 9...
... Basu emphasized that the role of the social scientists is underappreciated and much needed. "When you look at the grand challenges in pollution and infectious diseases, these are ones that touch upon human rights, economics, and security issues." Multidisciplinary teams are able to take on grand challenges "in a grander way," stated Basu.
From page 10...
... "These systems need to be balanced," stated Gary Ginsberg of the New York State Department of Health. He encouraged workshop participants to identify "where transdisciplinary work and translational work needs to occur" in order "to decrease the vulnerabilities that we see within populations confronted with infectious diseases." Several workshop participants commented that there are important disciplinary perspectives missing from the conversation, including data science, community resilience, nutrition, veterinary medicine, geology, exposure science, and social sciences.
From page 11...
... Better methods are needed, for example, to assess environ­ ental m e ­ xposures, quantify routes of exposure, and explore the role that human microbiomes can play in exacerbating or ameliorating exposures to environmental stressors. Advances have also led to new concepts that deserve further exploration, including the global resistome that acts as a microbial reservoir of antibiotic resistance mechanisms; the m ­ icrobiome-immune host defense barrier known as the microimmunosome; the multiprotein inflammasome that responds to infection; and the exposome, which measures the sum of all exposures an individual has during a lifetime.
From page 12...
... The statements made are those of the rapporteurs or individual workshop participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all workshop participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, ­ and Medicine. Workshop Planning Committee on Toward Understanding the Interplay of Environmental Stressors, Infectious Diseases, and Human Health: Robert Newman (Chair)


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