My World

"My World" is the physical environment you live in.  It includes the air you breathe, where you live (in the country or in the city) and also where you work or play. Genes are an important factor in determining your risk for most chronic conditions but certain environmental exposures can also trigger disease onset. Click on the links below to learn more.

Asthma and secondhand smoke: Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoke, is the cause of significant health problems for those who are exposed to it.  The  U.S. Surgeon General's recently released report implicates secondhand smoke in chronic diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease. Secondhand smoke exposure in children can cause increased ear infections and a significant increase in asthma symptoms.

Lead exposure: Lead paint was used in many homes built before 1978.  Some genotypes impair a child's ability to remove lead from the body, making him or her more susceptible to its harmful effects.  Breathing in the dust from lead paint is known to cause:

• Learning and behavior problems  
• Tiredness    
• Headaches 
• Hearing difficulties

For more information or questions about childhood lead poisoning and to find out how to test your home for lead click here.

Cancer and the environment: Some environmental exposures increase the risk of cancer, but there are still many questions to be answered.

• We don't know which specific combinations of environmental factors combine with gene changes to lead to cancer

• We don't know why two people can have very similar environmental exposures, yet one gets cancer and the other doesn't
• We know the individual chance that someone will develop cancer depends on how long and how often that person was exposed
• We also know the risk of cancer depends on genetic makeup, gender and age.

Click here for the Michigan Department of Community Health fact sheet on cancer and the environment.

These are just a couple of examples of how the environment can affect health. For more information on this topic visit:

• The National Institute of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Genome Project
• The National Center for Toxicogenomics
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Health web page

Find out about: My Choices; My Self