What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: Exposomics for better environmental health

Context

Scientific progress in exposomics will help us better understand the causes of diseases and create more complete ways to prevent them.

Introduction

The focus of World Environment Day 2025 (June 5) is to stop plastic pollution. Micro-plastics are just one of many harmful chemical, physical, and biological dangers found in the air, water, and our surroundings. We cannot easily detect or measure how much we are exposed to them or the health risks they cause. Because of this, reducing diseases caused by the environment remains a big challenge for public health.

Tackling Environmental Health in India

• Economic Growth and Environment:Rapid growth in India is increasing the scale and complexity of environmental exposures and their links to lifestyles.
• High Disease Burden and New Approaches:India faces 25% of global environmental diseases, needing integrated health risk assessments for better management.
• Need for Complete Environmental Factors:Including all environmental factors in disease studies is crucial to avoid worsening health inequalities and rising costs.
• Exposomics for Better Prevention:Using exposomics helps understand disease causes fully and develop holistic prevention.
• Investing in Health Surveillance:Long-term environmental health monitoring combined with digital health and data science is vital.

Environmental disease burden

• WHO and Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study:
  The WHOstarted estimating the environmental disease burden in 2000, forming the base for the GBD study. The latest GBD cycle (2021) analyzed 88 risk factors, highlighting the biggest contributors to global health burden.

Key Statistics from GBD 2021	Global Deaths (Millions)	DALYs (%)
Environmental & Occupational Risks	12.8 (18.9% of deaths)	14.4%
Ambient PM2.5 Air Pollution	4.7	4.2%
Household Air Pollution (solid fuels)	3.1	3.9%

• Environmental Health Burden in India:
  • Nearly 3 million deathsand 100 million DALYs are linked to occupational and environmental health (OEH) risks.
  • OEH risks cause over 50%of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, asthma, diabetes, and kidney disease.
  • Lead exposureaffects child development, with India accounting for 154 million IQ points lost in children under five (about 20% globally).

Diseases Linked to OEH in India	Percentage of Attributable Burden (%)
Ischemic Heart Disease	>50%
Stroke	>50%
Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD)	>50%
Lung Cancer	>50%
Asthma	>50%
Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease	Increasingly linked

• Limitations of Current GBD Environmental Burden Estimates
  • Only around 11 categoriesof environmental risk factors are included due to limited human exposure data.
  • Missing risks include chemical exposures, micro-plastics, solid waste, and environmental noise.
  • Interactions between environmental, metabolic (e.g., high blood pressure), behavioural (e.g., smoking), genetic, and socio-economic factors are complex and not fully studied.
  • Risk assessments usually focus on single factors, not mixtures or lifetime exposures.
• Climate change worsens environmental risks:
  • Increases heat, air pollution, vector-borne diseases, storms, floods, and wildfires.
  • Affects crop yields, worker productivity, food security, and supply chains.
  • Drives mental health issueslike depression and anxiety related to ecological stress and pollution.
  • Can cause compound effectswhere multiple hazards occur together, amplifying health risks.
  • Vulnerable populations with poor access to healthcare and nutrition are most affected.
• Need for Better Data and Holistic Strategies:
  • Current estimates are conservative underestimatesof the true environmental health burden.
  • There is a lack of data and methods to include many important risk factors in GBD assessments.
  • Holistic and scalable prevention strategiesrequire improved understanding and integration of multiple environmental, social, and health factors.

Understanding the Human Genome Project and the Exposome

• The Global Human Genome Project (1990-2003)significantly advanced our understanding of the genetic basis of diseases.
• However, it revealed that genetic variation alone has limited predictive powerfor many common diseases.
  • For example, genetics contributes to less than 50% of the risk for heart disease, a major cause of death worldwide.
• The success of genome mapping led to the development of the “exposome” concept:
  • Exposome: The totality of all environmental exposures an individual encounters throughout their lifetime and how these exposures affect health.
• Traditional environmental health studies are usually hypothesis-drivenand focus on:
  • One or a small set of exposures
  • At limited time points
• These traditional methods fail to capture the complex interactionsof multiple exposures over a lifetime and their impact on human health.
• Exposomicsaims to fill this gap by:
  • Studying interactions between external exposures (physical, chemical, biological, psycho-social)
  • Considering diet, lifestyle, and internal factors like genetics, physiology, and epigenetics
  • Creating a comprehensive atlas of Exposure-Wide Associations (EWAS)to complement Genome-Wide Associations Studies (GWAS)
• Achieving this requires integrating multiple interdisciplinary technologies, such as:

Technology / Method	Purpose and Role
Real-time sensor-based wearables	Monitor personal exposures continuously
Untargeted chemical analyses	Analyze human biomonitoring samples to detect exposures
Organs-on-a-chip (micro-physiological systems)	Mimic human organ functions in vitro to study biological responses
Big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI)	Mine and integrate large datasets to generate evidence

• Challenges:
  • Limited capacity and resources globally to generate exposomic data.
  • Urgent need to develop a harmonised data ecosystemfor:
    • Storing, accessing, and sharing exposomic data
    • Ensuring data interoperability through sustained repositories

Mainstream environment within health

• Implementing environmental health management programmes in India faces significant challenges and hurdles.
• At first glance, exposome frameworks may appear implausible or irrelevantgiven these challenges.
• However, adopting technology and data-driven approachesin the health sector is already a familiar strategy in India.
• Exposomics presents unique opportunitiesto:
  • Integrate environmental risk factors into public health programmes more effectively.
  • Develop more precise predictive modelsfor chronic diseases.
  • Enable advancements in precision medicinetailored to individual exposures and genetics.
• Success depends on:
  • Strong investments in capacity buildingto develop expertise and infrastructure.
  • Synchronizing existing analytical, environmental, and public health systems.
• This integrated approach promises to:
  • Address public health concerns with unprecedented cost-effectiveness.
  • Improve health outcomes by targeting environmental risks comprehensively.

Conclusion

The time is ripe for the Indian environmental health community to actively engage with and contribute to the growing global momentum surrounding the science of exposomics. Looking ahead, future World Environment Day celebrations may increasingly emphasize the significance of the Human Exposome Project as a powerful framework for holistic prevention strategies that aim to preserve and promote health equity worldwide.

 

Editorial 2: Aiming for an era of ‘biohappiness’ in India

Context

Using natural resources carefully — like bringing back traditional and forgotten foods — can help improve our health and overall well-being.

Introduction

During a recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, we were pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of green vegetablesincluded in daily meals — all freshly picked from nearby forests and fields.

• In many rural and tribal regionsof India, people still grow and consume a rich range of millets, beans, pulses, tubers, wild fruits, and green leafy vegetables.
• These nutritious foods are often unknown or forgottenin urban diets today.

For instance, the Nyishi and Apatani tribes in Arunachal Pradesh have deep knowledge about the health benefits and medicinal uses of these local plants. However, a senior government official expressed concern that:

• The rich variety of local crops(agrobiodiversity) in northeast India is disappearing fast.
• This mirrors a global trend of species extinction.
• Along with it, traditional knowledge— including how to cook and use these foods for health — may also be dying out at the same speed.
• In short, there’s a real risk that both biodiversity and ancient wisdommay vanish if not preserved soon.

India’s Rich Biodiversity

• India has only 2%of the world’s land area but is home to nearly 8% of global biodiversity.
• It is one of 17 “megadiverse” countries
• India includes parts of 4 out of 36 global biodiversity hotspots.
• It is also one of just 8 global centres of food-crop diversity.
• Natural services from India’s forests are worth over ₹130 trillion per year.
• Rural livelihoodsheavily depend on these local ecosystems.

Threats to Biodiversity and Development

• India is facing a steady loss of natural resources, which:
  • Reduces GDP.
  • Slows sustainable development.
• The value and potentialof biodiversity to improve human life remains largely untapped.

Global Food System Over-Reliance

• The world depends mainly on three crops:
  • Rice, Wheat, and Maize.
• These provide over 50%of the world’s plant-based calories.
• This over-dependence causes:
  • Nutritional imbalances.
  • Higher risk to climate-related shocks.
  • Inequity in distributionof agricultural benefits.
  • Rising non-communicable diseaseslike obesity and diabetes.

Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS)

• India has long ignored traditional, locally grown crops such as:
  • Small millets, buckwheat, amaranth
  • Jackfruit, yams, tubers
  • Indigenous legumes
• These crops are classified as NUS (Neglected and Underutilized Species).

NUS: From “Orphan” to “Opportunity Crops”

Feature	Commercial Crops (e.g. wheat, rice)	NUS / Opportunity Crops
Nutritional Value	Moderate	High and diverse
Climate Resilience	Often vulnerable	Well adapted to local climates
Usage in Local Diets	Common in urban markets	Traditional but fading from urban diets
Contribution to Diversity	Low	Supports agro-biodiversity
Sustainability	Resource-intensive	Eco-friendly and sustainable

Orphan Crops, Traditional Wisdom & Local Revival

1. Orphan Crops and Local Culture

• Orphan crops(now also called opportunity crops) are part of local food traditions.
• These crops reflect cultural identity, ecological wisdom, and community knowledge.
• Case Study: Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu
  • Located in the Eastern Ghats, Kolli Hills farmers traditionally grew milletssuited to local conditions.
  • Over the last 30 years, many shifted to cash cropslike:
    • Cassava, coffee, and pepper.
  • This shift caused a decline in crop diversity (agrobiodiversity).

1. MSSRF’s Community-Based Intervention

• The S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)has worked in the region for over 20 years.
• Their efforts include:
  • Participatory researchwith farmers.
  • Empowering women and farmer groups.
  • Documenting traditional knowledge.
  • Improving soil healthand crop diversity.
  • Supporting local processing and value addition.
  • Leading to higher incomesand ecological sustainability.

1. National Missions, Millets, and the Future of Food

• As part of the International Year of Millets (UN)and Shree Anna Yojana, India adopted a national plan.
• Key focus areas:
  • Boosting production and consumption.
  • Enhancing exports and value chains.
  • Branding, awareness of health benefits, and nutrition campaigns.
• State Millet Missions: Odisha Example
  • Several Indian states have launched Millet Missions.
  • In Koraput district (Odisha): Collaboration with Odisha Millet Missionsupports millet farming from seed to plate.
• While national attention is mostly on ragi (finger millet), jowar (sorghum), and bajra (pearl millet):
  • The next step is to include minor milletsin:
    • State schemes
    • The Public Distribution System (PDS)

Why Orphan Crops Matter for the Future

Feature	Cash Crops (e.g., Coffee, Cassava)	Opportunity Crops (Millets, Yams, Legumes)
Cultural Connection	Low	Deeply rooted in tradition
Nutritional Value	Moderate	High in fibre, protein, and micronutrients
Soil and Climate Adaptation	Medium to low	Highly adaptable, low input needs
Impact on Biodiversity	Reduces it	Enhances agrobiodiversity
Economic Resilience	Market-dependent	Locally driven, supports small farmers
Sustainability	Often chemical-intensive	Supports ecological balance

The Evergreen Vision for Future Food Systems

• Over 50 years ago,  M.S. Swaminathanimagined an Evergreen Revolution:
  • Not based on chemicals and yield alone.
  • But based on ecological balanceand nutrition security.
• Bringing back forgotten foodsalso means:
  • Reviving cultural identity.
  • Using traditional knowledgeto face the climate crisis.
  • Ensuring better food for people, planet, and future generations.

Conclusion

A new wave of biodiversity science is emerging globally, and India is well-positioned to benefit, thanks to its strong human resources and scientific infrastructure. This evolving, interdisciplinary science holds the key to addressing some of India’s most urgent challenges — from the sustainable use of biodiversity in agriculture, food production, and nutrition, to tackling climate change, disaster risks, and promoting a bio-economy that supports livelihoods for 1.4 billion people. With the right focus, India has the potential to become a global leader in the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, improving both public health and human well-being. Perhaps, as envisioned by M.S. Swaminathan, we can now aspire to an era of “Biohappiness” — where ecological richness and human prosperity go hand in hand.