ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES Things people come in contact with every day, such as pesticides, chemicals in water, hormone-mimicking chemicals in cash register receipts, smoke and air pollution, can change chemical tags on DNA and proteins. What those changes mean and how useful they are for determining health risks aren’t yet clear.
Clockwise from top left: Ittipon/Shutterstock; Gyvafoto/Shutterstock; BILLION PHOTOS/SHUTTERSTOCK; ZURIJETA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Nearly everything people do, eat or come into contact with can change them in little ways — sometimes with big consequences.