Environmental factors, and in particular the long-term effects of continuous exposure, are an exogenous factor of increasing importance in the pathogenesis of aging and a number of serious medical conditions, usually with fatal outcomes. These include, in particular, tumor diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and possibly autoimmune diseases.In particular, toxic exposure to the food chain and the immediate physical environment are responsible for a large number of long-term diseases. In this context, however, viruses, radiation and tobacco consumption, noise and smog as well as social and socio-economic circumstances are also to be understood as environmental factors (synonyms: ecological factor or eco-factor) of considerable influence. Drugs, too, can become sources of such toxic environmental influences because of their side effects, which often become apparent only over considerable periods of time.The carcinogenic effects of a large number of so-called environmental toxins are widely known, but less understood are the often highly dangerous effects of widely used materials that can develop significant toxic effects over long periods of time because of their placement in a variety of processes of daily life. Among these is aluminum, which has been directly linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in its use for kitchen utensils in daily food preparation.
The continuous and progressive exposure of the organism to toxic elements of the environment can be seen as a significant factor in the age-independent restriction and cumulative disruption of the organism’s ability to function in the sense of premature aging. Moreover, an as yet incalculable number of diseases of old age are to a considerable extent the result of long-term exposure to toxic environmental factors.
The environment is a complex system of natural, but also artificial substances, to which more and more people react with complaints and diseases. The environment consists of, among other things:
- Soil
- Water
- Air
- Climate
- Climate – Introduction
- Climate change
- Consequences of climate change
- Radiation
- Radiation – Introduction
- Radioactive radiation – Radioactivity
- UV radiation
- Infrared radiation
- Electromagnetic radiation
- Noise
These environmental factors, often due to human interference with nature, can have a negative impact on our well-being and sometimes lead to disease.