Mapping the human chemical exposome for public health

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Source: Nature Medicine

Original: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04289-7...

Published: 2026-03-18

Scientists are launching an ambitious global project to map the human exposome, the lifelong mix of environmental and chemical exposures that drive most diseases.[1] The project is supported by partners such as governments, UNESCO and international scientific advisory bodies and is rapidly expanding across continents.[1] It uses AI, advanced sensors, metabolomics, and big data analytics to move medicine from genetics to real factors influencing health.[1] Genes account for only 10-20% of disease risk, while biological, chemical, and environmental exposures contribute at least 80%.[1] The project seeks to exceed the ambition of the Human Genome Project and translate discoveries into policies benefiting broad populations.[1] It includes regional chapters and working groups to study shared exposures in ecosystems including humans, animals and the environment.[1][2] Technologies such as mass spectrometry enable simultaneous analysis of chemical exposures, metabolome, and lipidome from a single sample.[2] Multi-omics approaches combine metabolomics, proteomics and transcriptomics with ecological data to understand the exposome of ecosystems.[2]