Environmental exposure may trigger biological changes in the body long before an individual develops symptoms of disease, making the study of oxidative stress and DNA damage important to understanding, how environmental risks could contribute to chronic illnesses, researcher Olatunde Aladegba has said.

Aladegba, a biochemist and analytical chemist, said the health consequences of environmental exposure could not be fully understood by looking only at the amount of pollution present in the environment.

He explained that once certain environmental substances enter biological systems, they may interact with cells and generate reactive oxygen species, creating a condition known as oxidative stress.

According to him, excessive oxidative stress can become a concern because of its potential effect on biological molecules, including DNA.

“Environmental exposure is not simply about what is outside the body. We also need to understand the biological response that takes place after exposure,” he said.

Speaking with our correspondent, Aladegba said understanding these mechanisms could help researchers better appreciate the stages between environmental exposure and disease development.

According to him, DNA carries the information that is fundamental to the functioning of our cells. When there is damage to DNA, the body has mechanisms for detecting and repairing that damage, but persistent or excessive damage can become a biological concern.

Aladegba, who is also Analytical Project Manager/Health Safety and Environment Manager at Impact Energy and Logistics Limited, said oxidative stress should therefore be studied as part of a broader effort to understand the relationship between environmental exposure and chronic disease.

He explained that reactive oxygen species were not inherently harmful because they also play roles in normal biological processes, but problems could arise when their production and the body’s protective mechanisms become unbalanced.

The researcher said studying DNA damage could provide researchers with information about biological effects that may not be immediately visible through conventional observation.

He added, “It is the imbalance that becomes important”. We need to understand when oxidative processes move beyond what the body can effectively manage and the consequences it can pose on cellular health.

“This makes molecular research relevant to preventive medicine, because identifying biological changes could potentially help researchers understand disease risks before more advanced conditions develop.”

Aladegba said the scientific challenge was not simply to identify a relationship between exposure and disease but to understand the biochemical pathway connecting the two.

He explained that the research into oxidative stress also required reliable laboratory methods capable of detecting and analysing biological changes.

“That connection is important. If we understand the mechanism, we are in a better position to think about prevention rather than waiting until the disease has already developed,” he said.

Aladegba said advances in biochemical research could make it possible to study biological responses to environmental exposure with greater precision.

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