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Effects of Drinking Water Quality on Epigenetic Factors: a Molecular–hygienic Investigation
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Researchers studied drinking water samples from municipal systems, wells, desalination plants and rural groundwater, alongside biological samples from participants, to see how contaminants like heavy metals, microplastics and disinfection by-products relate to changes in gene-regulating molecules. They found heavy metals were linked to DNA changes, disinfection by-products to stress-related markers, and nitrates to other molecular changes, with predictive modeling suggesting possible long-term health risks.
drinking water quality plays a crucial yet often underestimated role in influencing epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression and determine long-term health outcomes in human populations. As environmental exposures increasingly intersect with molecular biology, a growing body of evidence suggests that contaminants such as heavy metals, disinfection by-products, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, microbial metabolites, and nano-sized particles present in drinking water can induce stable yet reversible epigenetic alterations involving DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNA dynamics, chromatin remodeling, and transgenerational regulatory changes. This study investigates the relationship between drinking water quality and epigenetic determinants within a molecular–hygienic framework, employing an integrated assessment involving chemical and microbiological water analysis, high-throughput epigenetic profiling, molecular biomarkers of exposure, and predictive modeling to elucidate mechanisms by which waterborne contaminants shape epigenetic landscapes. Samples were collected from diverse water sources—including municipal systems, wells, desalination facilities, and rural groundwater—in regions differing in geochemistry, sanitation infrastructure, and pollution vulnerability. Epigenetic markers examined included global and gene-specific DNA methylation (5-mC), hydroxymethylation (5-hmC), histone modifications (H3K9me3, H3K27ac), expression of microRNAs (miR-21, miR-146a, miR-210), and long non-coding RNAs associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, detoxification, and metabolic regulation pathways. Biological samples from study participants were analyzed in conjunction with water-quality parameters such as heavy metals (Pb, As, Cd, Hg, Cr), nitrates, fluoride, chlorine by-products (THMs, HAAs), microbial contaminants, emerging pollutants (microplastics, PFAS), and physicochemical factors (pH, ORP, hardness). The findings demonstrate a strong correlation between specific water contaminants and epigenetic modifications, with heavy metals markedly increasing global DNA hypomethylation, disinfection by-products elevating oxidative-stress-related microRNAs, and nitrate contamination influencing histone acetylation patterns. Predictive modeling indicates long-term health risks stemming from epigenetic dysregulation, including heightened susceptibility to metabolic disorders, cancer risk, immune dysfunction, and intergenerational biological instability. This study contributes a novel molecular–hygienic perspective on how drinking water quality influences epigenetic architecture and provides a framework for improving public health surveillance, regulatory standards, and water-treatment policies.
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