Scott Belcher, Project 3 Co-Leader, will be presenting a Symposium on ‘All for One and One for All: One Environmental Health in Toxicology’, at the 2022 Society of Toxicology (SOT) Meeting in San Diego, CA.
The founding principle of One Health is that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are all intrinsically linked. The focus of One Health has been overwhelmingly dominated by a wave of infectious disease research with a goal of prevention of zoonotic diseases, particularly since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Other critical components have been left in the wake of this wave, such as noncommunicable diseases including cancer and investigations into how exposure to environmental chemicals impacts health of all systems. The moniker “One Environmental Health” was coined as a subconcept of One Health to create a space that focuses on the health impacts associated with exposure to environmental stressors. Toxicants are an inevitable component of our natural and built environment. This session aims to highlight the diversity in One Environmental Health approaches from bench to bedside, from animals to lawmakers, from field work to court rooms, and how some of our most pressing metal and organic environmental health concerns are being considered in this important paradigm. We will begin with an introduction to One Environmental Health from Dr. Mary Ann Ottinger, where she will integrate the introduction with the important role of wildlife conservation. The session will then transition into exposure monitoring using sentinel species. Dr. Catherine Wise will discuss using pet dogs as a model for environmental health and the novel utility of silicone wristbands for noninvasive comparative exposure monitoring. Our third speaker will demonstrate the integration of exposure monitoring in a sentinel species with health outcomes. Dr. Scott Belcher will discuss the immunomodulatory effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using the American alligator as a sentinel species. The fourth speaker will demonstrate the use of a sentinel species to investigate mechanisms of disease. Dr. John Pierce Wise Sr. will discuss the use of whale cells as in vitro models for metal-induced cancer mechanisms. The final speaker will end with turning One Environmental Health data into policy. Dr. Niladri Basu will discuss mercury pollution at the integration with global public policy and how to assess the effectiveness of those policies in practice. This session will demonstrate how One Environmental Health is used to draw attention to the collaborative efforts in toxicology and how it fits within the One Health paradigm. The topics discussed show how the breadth of species and real-world exposure scenarios can inform us about greater ecosystem and human health threats. Together, these speakers represent the full spectrum of One Environmental Health, from concepts, to exposure monitoring, to mechanistic disease research, and finally to public policy—with an overarching goal to create a healthier world for humans, animals, and ecosystems.
You can see Scott in person at the SOT, discussing this presentation on Monday, March 28, 2022, 1:45pm-4:30pm (Pacific), CC Room 1.