Scientists make progress in mapping chemicals to six groups of common diseases
Exposure to hazardous chemicals can contribute to noncommunicable diseases and remains a key public health challenge. Most chemicals used in consumer products, including food packaging, lack sufficient data to determine whether they are safe. Current testing approaches cannot effectively check for all possible health outcomes, and many testing requirements check only for genotoxicity and examine…
Scientists have made significant advancements in mapping chemical hazards to six common disease groups, according to a study published in the journal Environment International. The research, led by researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Food Packaging Forum, aims to develop high-throughput, animal-free methods for screening chemicals and their transformation products for potential health risks.
The study identified 266 adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, metabolic diseases, immunological disorders, cardiovascular disease, and brain-related disorders. By analyzing these pathways as networks, the researchers pinpointed biological events where they could intersect, diverge, or converge to contribute to various diseases.
The researchers identified 15 high-throughput bioassays that could effectively test whether a product on the market is toxic and linked to these diseases in consumers. One potential application of these tests would be to screen food packaging for toxic chemicals that may be present in products that contain unknown substances. While promising, these proposed bioassays require validation to determine their efficacy in flagging known hazardous chemicals.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
