Environmental genome of industrial products ( EGIP): the missing link for human health

Abstract

Human health impacts come from genetic factors and from the environment. Human health impacts, as nature versus nurture (genetic versus non-shared chemical environmental), have currently been represented in genomics only as the human genome (double helix). The discovery of the genomic structure for the non-shared chemical environmental (the environment) component fills a conceptual gap and thus provides a more complete understanding of total impact on human health. When mapped, the environmental genome of industrial products (EGIP) would serve as a global framework for assessing broad and clustered health effects (human and ecological) at the local and global levels. Thus products for society have coupled benefits and impacts. The environmental genome is pyramidal rather than helical. The shape of the EGIP is, x = n(y), where n is a structural building unit (SBU) which is different for each of the 100 000 chemicals, x is the complexity of the industrial ecosystem to make the product (width of genome), and y is the levels or stages from natural resources to product (length of genome). The environmental genome is approximately the same informational size (0.5-8 billion pieces) as the human genome (3 billion chemical pairs). The pyramidal environmental genomic pieces span from natural resources (containing much of the Periodic Table) to the final chemical/material products in commerce of which there are about 100 000 which comprise all products. In summary, "the human genome is held in awe as it created each of us. The environmental genome of industrial products must be respected for it is what we as humans have truly created."