The intricate biological interactions between humans and their environments have long been a subject of concern. Our lives have become entwined with an ever-expanding array of chemical compounds. Yet, despite this pervasive exposure, our understanding of how these chemicals interact within our bodies remains far from comprehensive.
Traditionally, toxicology has largely focused on studying the effects of individual chemicals, and standards and regulations designed to protect human health have predominantly relied on data derived from single chemical exposures. However, this approach fails to capture the complex reality of our everyday lives, where we are subjected to a multitude of substances simultaneously.
Consider the myriad chemicals we encounter in a typical day: pollutants in the air we breathe, additives in the food we eat, contaminants in the water we drink. This continuous abundance of exposure creates a chemical landscape that is anything but simple. In essence, we are participants in a grand experiment, where our bodies serve as the testing ground for a vast array of chemical mixtures.
While the concept of chemical mixtures is not new to the field of toxicology, our understanding of their collective impact on human health remains underdeveloped. The SOT Symposium Session titled “The ‘Cocktail Effect’: Studying the Greatest Uncontrolled Experiment Ever Launched!” highlighted the fascinating work of four researchers who are investigating chemical mixtures.
Studies presented by Dr. Kristin Eccles and by Dr. Lisa Miller shed light on the unique health risks presented by environmental disasters, specifically metal mixtures in wildfire settings.
Dr. Eccles, a Research Scientist leading computational toxicology research in the Exposure and Biomonitoring Division for Health Canada, discussed her work drawing from the One Health approach which assesses the risk of metal exposure to wildlife using computational tools such as mapping geospatial modeling, hot spot analysis, and source attribution.
Dr. Miller, a Professor in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology at the University of California Davis, highlighted the development of a persistent distal airway injury in two cohorts of nonhuman primates after early life exposure to ambient wildfire smoke.
Moreover, research conducted by Dr. Andrew Hawkey and by Nivetha Kamalavannan Subramaniam using animal models unveiled risks associated with neurobehavioral and cardiometabolic disorders, providing valuable insights into the potential health consequences of exposure to mixed chemicals.
Dr. Hawkey, an Assistant Professor in biomedical sciences at Midwestern University, talked about his research examining developmental exposure to the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) benzo[a]pyrene in zebrafish and rats that suggested that Cd can interact with neurotoxic PAHs, influencing the expression of PAH-related deficits in both species.
Ms. Subramaniam, a current PhD candidate in experimental medicine at McGill University, shared her research findings on the effects of low-dose metal mixtures, specifically arsenic (As) and Cd, on cardiometabolic diseases during her presentation. Her work highlighted differential cell sensitivities, gene expression changes, and intriguing sex-specific differences observed in mouse models.
Furthermore, ongoing investigations seek to employ humanized mouse models to deepen our understanding of cardiometabolic outcomes, accounting for the differential As methylation and detoxification rates between humans and mice.
This blog was prepared by an SOT Reporter and represents the views of the author. SOT Reporters are SOT members who volunteer to write about sessions and events in which they participate during the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. SOT does not propose or endorse any position by posting this article. If you are interested in participating in the SOT Reporter program in the future, please email SOT Headquarters.
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