Chemical and bio-risk sensing and management

Abstract

One of the major repercussions of the continuous advancement of technology and economy in modern societies is the spread of environmental pollutants. Various carcinogens and pathogens contaminate food and drinking water. In order for man to resist, survive and coexist with these threats, sufficient scientific information and risk management must be provided. Despite the tremendous anxiety regarding health and environment, sufficient information on these issues based on scientific grounds has not been properly disseminated. Chemical and bio-risk sensing technology entails the detection of allergens, poisons, endocrine disrupting chemicals, residual agrochemicals, polymer solvents, pathogenic bacteria and viral insect vectors. These unseen hazards are one of the major causes of fatalities. This calls for the urgent detection of these risk factors at extremely ‘‘razor-thin’’ level and the development of effective countermeasures. Chemical and bio-risk management must be immediately implemented. The science of ecological monitoring and risk assessment should be advanced. First, tools to screen chemicals harmful to human and environment should be provided in academic and industrial R&D sector. When new chemicals are designed, risks caused by these chemicals should be identified. Hazard assessment is the second step in risk management. The extent to which man and other organisms are exposed to environmental risks should be estimated. Environmental exposure should be expressed in terms of environmental concentration in air, water, sediment, soil and even in crops. Methods for exposure assessment include estimation of emission, monitoring and modeling. Toxicity data and other information must be evaluated so that conclusions may be drawn and serve as basis for risk management decisions. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (http://webnet1.oecd.org/EN/about/0,,EN-about-522-14no-no-no-0,00.html) contributes to this practice by developing and compiling assessment methods. Organisms have highly sensitive recognition mechanisms to detect extremely low quantities of substances in the environment. To further develop environmental monitoring technology, genes that respond to various environmental pollutants must be identified. Human health and disease conditions are determined by the complex interplay among genetic susceptibility, environmental exposure and age bracket. Thus, an understanding of genetic susceptibility to chemical agents will allow better identification of hazardous chemicals. To address the problems of human health and environment, the following four basic prospects must be realized: