How does the exposome concept apply in One Health?

How does the exposome concept apply in One Health?

• A. The total environmental exposures affecting health across humans, animals, and ecosystems.
• B. A focus only on chemical exposures in humans.
• C. A concept limited to occupational health.
• D. A static measure of diet.

Answer: (A)

The exposome in One Health is about everything in the environment that can affect health over the life course, across humans, animals, and ecosystems. It includes chemical, physical, biological, and social exposures, as well as how lifestyle, diet, climate, and behavior shape those exposures. Importantly, it also considers how internal processes—like metabolism and inflammation—modify the impact of external exposures. In One Health, this broad view matters because exposures are shared and can move across species and environments through air, water, soil, food chains, and ecological changes, influencing health outcomes for people, companion animals, livestock, wildlife, and ecosystems alike. By examining the full exposome, we can better understand disease risks, emergence of zoonoses, and opportunities for prevention that benefit all partners in the human–animal–environment triangle. The other statements are narrower or inaccurate for this concept: focusing only on chemical exposures in humans misses cross-species and nonchemical factors; limiting to occupational health leaves out domestic animals, wildlife, and environmental exposures; and treating the exposome as a static measure of diet contradicts the dynamic, holistic, and life-course nature of the concept.

The exposome in One Health is about everything in the environment that can affect health over the life course, across humans, animals, and ecosystems. It includes chemical, physical, biological, and social exposures, as well as how lifestyle, diet, climate, and behavior shape those exposures. Importantly, it also considers how internal processes—like metabolism and inflammation—modify the impact of external exposures. In One Health, this broad view matters because exposures are shared and can move across species and environments through air, water, soil, food chains, and ecological changes, influencing health outcomes for people, companion animals, livestock, wildlife, and ecosystems alike. By examining the full exposome, we can better understand disease risks, emergence of zoonoses, and opportunities for prevention that benefit all partners in the human–animal–environment triangle.

The other statements are narrower or inaccurate for this concept: focusing only on chemical exposures in humans misses cross-species and nonchemical factors; limiting to occupational health leaves out domestic animals, wildlife, and environmental exposures; and treating the exposome as a static measure of diet contradicts the dynamic, holistic, and life-course nature of the concept.