by Rita Pearson

The term exposome refers to the sum of all factors a person is exposed to which affect health through epigenetic and biological processes. Exposomes can reflect environmental, social, and political exposures separately or combined.

Throughout our lives, we experience widely varied social, economic, and political conditions. This includes access to education, income, and housing, and  as whether our built environment is healthy and whether we experience social engagement and support. Exposure to all these influences—which are shaped by systemic inequalities and policies—begins before birth, accumulates over time, and affects how long and how well we live.

Coined by a cancer researcher in 2005, the term “exposome” first described  a systematic approach to measuring environmental exposures to pollutants and toxins in order to measure their impact on health. The idea was to measure the totality of exposure individuals experience over their lives and to understand how those exposures affect health.

Now, researchers are  including social factors in a person’s exposome to emphasize that our health and longevity are not solely determined by genetics or environmental factors, but also by the social systems we navigate. In other words, where we live can determine early life exposure not only to a clean or toxic environment, but also to educational, social, and economic opportunities that impact lifelong health. Understanding the timing, frequency, and duration of positive and negative social exposures is crucial for understanding how they influence our health and longevity.

Studying the social exposome connects the dots between where we live, the opportunities available to us, and our physical health. The expanded definition recognizes that policies, inequality, and social structures can influence our health and longevity just as powerfully as environmental toxins, and that longevity is deeply shaped from birth by the social systems we interact with every day.

Keep reading Issue 1