BEEPs: Dimitri Heintz: Ecosystems and the anthropogenic chemical exposome: A One Health approach

In recent years, with the emergence of environmental awareness and the global changes brought about by man-made pollution, the idea has gained ground that human health is highly dependent on that of the animals and plants that surround us, as well as on that of the ecosystems in which we live. Our health is just one facet of a single health. So the One Health approach invites us to think about health differently, by recognizing the interdependence between the well-being of human populations and that of the animals and ecosystems in which they live. In public health, we now know that 90% of chronic diseases are linked to our exposome, and in particular to chronic exposure to environmental pollutants, known as the chemical exposome. Wastewater treatment plants, which are unable to treat all man-made pollutants, are major contributors to environmental pollution. Sludge from sewage treatment plants, used as a fertilizer in agriculture, is largely responsible for environmental pollution and contamination of the food chain, right up to our plates. In Western countries, most wastewater is treated by planted filter- type treatment plants. The study of how these polluted wetland ecosystems function, the mitigation of pollutants and the associated ecosystem services are at the heart of my research project. The effects of the chemical exposome on: the health of the plants that carry out phytoremediation, the health of the animals that live there, human health and the microbes that are essential, are the central elements of my research project. Coming from a multidisciplinary background combining biology, chemistry and bioinformatics, I will be using a multi-omics, integrated and interdisciplinary approach to study the fate of these pollutants in the environment and ecosystems, as well as their bioaccumulation and effects on living organisms. A detailed understanding of the effects of the chemical exposome on animals will not be possible using omics approaches alone. It will be necessary to integrate the expertise possessed by DEPE colleagues, to identify target species, for example, or to measure the effects of pollutants on reproduction, growth, behavior and so on. Finally, the project will look at the wastewater treatment plant of the future, which will be more effective in mitigating pollutants. A new type of wastewater treatment plant based on agroforestry has been proposed, including a range of ecosystem services and value-added services in conjunction with decision-makers and social and economic partners.