Postdoc Fellow
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Investigating Environmental Toxicants and Racial and Ethnic Discrimination as Chemical and Non-Chemical Stressors of Biological AgingMinoritized racial and ethnic groups in the United States are disproportionately burdened by chronic disease morbidity and mortality despite advances in public health strategies and medical care. Scholars theorize that premature biological aging contributes to racial and ethnic health inequities commonly observed in the United States.
Many chemical (e.g., environmental toxicants) and non-chemical (e.g., discrimination) stressors are disproportionately experienced by minoritized racial and ethnic groups and may induce premature biological aging. For instance, leukocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening may be exacerbated by overactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis. Although both exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors, as well as indicators of premature biological aging (i.e., LTL shortening and epigenetic accelerated aging [EAA]), have been associated with adverse conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease) that disproportionately burden minoritized racial and ethnic groups, studies investigating exposure to multiple modifiable chemical and non-chemical stressors in relation to racial and ethnic disparities in premature biological aging are scarce.
Dr. Murkey’s team will aim to investigate independent and joint associations between multiple environmental toxicants or chemical stressors (e.g., vapors, smoke, allergens) along with the non-chemical stressor (racial and ethnic discrimination) in relation to premature biological aging. His team will apply advanced mixture methods and regression modeling to 2002–2022 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and 2003–2022 Sister Study data on self-reported environmental toxicant exposure, experiences of racial and ethnic discrimination (measured with the Everyday and Lifetime Discrimination Scales), and aging biomarkers that include LTL as well as Hannum, Horvath, PhenAge, and GrimAge biological age measures—proxies for EAA.
Ultimately, Dr. Murkey’s study is poised to illuminate novel pathways, which can inform interventions that help address racial and ethnic health disparities.
