Environmental medical epigenetics: A review of epigenetically induced medical risks generated from exposures in our air, food, and personal products

This chapter will cover key concepts related to multiple common environmental exposures such as allergens, pollutants, chemicals, and dietary sources. The chapter will review the latest findings delineating their roles in disease development or exacerbation via epigenetic processes. Recent animal models and human cohort studies demonstrating environmental epigenetic regulation will be stressed, as will the importance of specific time windows of exposure. In general, this review suggests that despite continuing expansion of this field in recent years, many fundamental questions and research gaps remain, particularly those related to understanding the mechanisms that cause chronic diseases and the importance of specific time periods of exposure on epigenetic regulation.