Virginia Tech’s Center for Science and Engineering of the Exposome is dedicated to establishing a fundamental understanding of the relationship between engineering design and the human exposome. Housed in the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), the center embraces an interdisciplinary approach that spans environmental engineering, microbiology, chemistry, nanotechnology, and aerosol science while emphasizing ethical practices for the public good.

It is now becoming widely apparent that the genetic model has largely failed to explain the majority of human illness or lead to many of the anticipated cures. Instead, evidence is now pointing to environmental factors as being at the heart of 90% of all human illness. The term “human exposome” has been introduced to describe the summation of lifetime environmental exposures, including microbes and chemicals in water, food, and air. Given that modern humans spend 95% of their time within the confines of the “built environment,” the built environment exposome represents a key knowledge gap in understanding disease etiology and improving public health. Construction materials, HVAC systems, and water systems are just some of the factors of the built environment that can affect exposure to microbes and chemicals.

An engineering framework and perspective is urgently needed at this critical juncture to understand the interplay between the exposome and the built environment in promoting human health and combatting disease. Engineers played a similar critical role in advancing public health in the last century by controlling fecal-borne illnesses, such as typhoid and cholera, by first establishing a practical understanding of disease monitoring, transmission and control strategies, and then applying that knowledge to the built environment through design of distribution systems and physical, chemical, and biological treatment of water supplies.

The present moment is opportune for new ideas and approaches to enhancing our infrastructure, given that the most recent grade given by the American Society of Civil Engineers is a D+ for our infrastructure as a whole, and a D for our water and wastewater systems. In particular, there is a drive for water conservation and reuse, which is absolutely imperative to secure sustainable water resources for the future, but also brings attention to a critical need to understand how such new practices will influence the human exposome. Tighter buildings save energy but can also affect indoor air quality. By harnessing the relationship between human exposome and the built environment, we can simultaneously advance public health, energy savings, and environmental sustainability.