chemicals can affect composition and function of the human microbiome

[Guest guest]

Unraveling The Microbiome

Federal agencies struggle to understand how microbes alter chemical

exposures

Britt E. kson

http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/89/i23/html/8923gov2.html

Scientists are showing that exposure to chemicals can affect the

composition and function of the human microbiome---the microorganisms

and their genes living in and on the human body. New research also

suggests that a person's microbiome can influence metabolism and how

that person responds to chemical exposures. The findings raise the

question: Should microbial effects be considered in future chemical risk

assessments? Federal agencies seem to think so, but so far they are

unsure what the effects mean or how to translate them to policy-making....

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