Rats Exposed to Jet Fuel Pass Epigenetic Changes on to Third Generation
A recent study of rats showed that exposure to hydrocarbons (jet fuel JP-8) can bring about disease not just in the rats who were exposed, but also in subsequent generations. Epigenetics is the study of how environmental events or biochemical changes can affect the structure of DNA, e.g. by attaching extra methyl groups. (These kinds of “epimutations” are separate from the inherited genetic makeup we receive from our parents, but new evidence suggests that some can be passed on to future generations.)
When first generation female rats were exposed to jet fuel, third generation rats showed 33 different examples of DNA methylation as well as obesity.
Previous research has shown similar signs of transgenerational transmission of disease resulting from first generation exposure to chemicals such as bisphenol A, phthalates, dioxins, and pesticide mixtures.
