• Question: Do you believe that pollution in the environment changing our DNA?

    Asked by AWSOME TORTOISE 42 to Barbara, Matt, Ravinder, Sophie, Tristan on 10 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Sophie Robinson

      Sophie Robinson answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      Certain pollutants have been proven to modify our DNA, however the levels most of us are exposed to in every day life is quite small therefore the chances of them modifying our DNA and leading to cancer is quite slim.

      That said, some nasty chemicals like asbestos, used for insulation in some old houses, are proven to be carcinogenic (cancer causing) so it’s best not to have contact with this.

    • Photo: Matthew Moore

      Matthew Moore answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      Definitely! There are plenty of pollutants that are known to have an effect in DNA.

      In countries such as China where the pollution is routinely above ‘healthy’ levels it’s not clear yet what impact this will have on public health

    • Photo: Barbara Shih

      Barbara Shih answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      Absolutely. Pollutions can modify our genes in different ways, such as epigenetic changes (chemical changes to DNA molecules) and indirect DNA damage (oxidative stress). I’m not sure on exactly how each carcinogens (cancer inducing substance) work. An example on how a carcinogen might work is UVR, which causes direct changes in DNA structures (e.g. formation of covalent bonds between two Ts), resulting in mistakes during replication. This effect is also known to be UV signatures in skin cancers; it’s the C->T base pair changes. Our body is pretty good at fixing incorrect changes in our DNA, but the more damage there has been, the more likely there will be an escaped problematic error.

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