Environmental factor
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Environmental factor or ecological factor or ecofactor is any factor, abiotic or biotic, that influences living organisms.
Environmental factors inducing diseases
Apart from the true monogenic genetic disorders, environmental factors may determine the development of disease in those genetically predisposed to a particular condition. Stress, physical and mental abuse, diet, exposure to toxins, pathogens, radiation and chemicals found in almost all personal care products and household cleaners are common environmental factors that determine a large segment of non-hereditary disease. Environmental factors such as the weather affect business interests. If a disease process is concluded to be the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factor influences, its etiological origin can be referred to as having a multifactorial pattern.
An example of an environmental trigger would be a component of a human's drinking water which holds the possibility of activating (triggering) a change in a person's body. These changes are mainly negative ones.Template:Citation needed Using this example, what is in the drinking water may affect one person entirely different than another -- someone may be affected greatly, whereas someone may not be at all.
Many cancers (osteosarcoma, etc), along with a plethora of other diseases, are thought to be a result of environmental triggers.
Nitrates may be an environmental trigger for Alzheimer's, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.
Environmental triggers for asthma and autism have been studied too.
See also
