Occupational and Environmental Health

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Email	meieisei◎med.nagoya-u.ac.jp (Please send a message after replacing "◎" mark with "@" mark. )
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OUTLINE

The causes of disease can be generally classified into genetic factors and environmental factors. The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health conducts research that integrates two complementary approaches in a well-balanced manner:
1. Experimental medical research centered on molecular biology
2. Field-based research including epidemiology
Through these approaches, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which environmental factors modify molecular function and molecular expression to induce disease, and to develop strategies for disease prevention and treatment.
If you are interested in our laboratory, please feel free to contact Masashi Kato at meieisei[a]med.nagoya-u.ac.jp (please replace [a] with @). We may be able to share with you an exciting and inspiring world of research.

For Researchers

We conduct broadly defined research in molecular toxicology to analyze the mechanisms by which environmental factors induce disease. While biology serves as the central foundation of our work, we also carry out field-based research including epidemiology. Therefore, you can pursue research that matches your own interests and aptitude.
We welcome inquiries from the following individuals.

1. Those who aim to build a future career as educators or researchers at universities or research institutes.
2. Those who aim to work as researchers in industry, such as pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or food related companies.
3. Those who wish to pursue overseas training as molecular biology researchers.
4. Those who are interested in obtaining qualifications as health supervisors or occupational health consultants.
5. Those who aspire to work in domestic or international medical administration, such as at the World Health Organization or the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
6. Researchers and prospective researchers who identify with any of the above are encouraged to contact us freely. We may be able to share with you an exciting and inspiring world of research.

For Physicians

Occupational physicians are an important profession that is strongly needed by society. Physicians who are interested in analyzing health risks posed by environmental factors, such as elements, low-frequency noise, and ultraviolet radiation, using genetically modified mice and advanced chemical analyses including LA-ICP-MS, are welcome to contact us. A new professional path may open for you.

For Graduate Students

In the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, students can learn a wide range of disciplines, from biological research to field based studies that include epidemiology. Students who are interested in the effects of cosmetics and foods on health often go on to careers in cosmetic, food, or pharmaceutical related industries.

Key Features

The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health has the following six major strengths.

1. Students can acquire broad knowledge and technical skills in both experimental medical researches centered on biology and field-based research including epidemiology.
2. Despite covering an exceptionally wide range of fields from experimental medicine to field research, students can learn cutting edge knowledge and techniques in each area.
3. Graduate students and early career researchers can actively participate in and contribute to ongoing laboratory projects, enabling them to achieve many research outputs within a relatively short period.
4. The laboratory includes experts from diverse fields such as medicine, pharmacy, and science, allowing interdisciplinary research training within the department.
5. As a medical graduate school department, it is relatively rare in having staff with experience supporting job placement in private companies, which enables strong career support for graduate students.
6. Environmental and occupational health is a discipline involved in the education of occupational physicians. Therefore, physicians who obtain certification as occupational physicians may also engage in part time work as occupational physicians while affiliated with the department.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Overview

The 21st century is often described as the era of the environment. It is well known that the environment has a substantial impact on human health, and public interest in this issue continues to grow. In fact, the effects of environmental factors such as air, water, and food on health are reported almost daily on television and in newspapers. Environmental and occupational health is a field of study that examines how the environment influences health, while also developing strategies to improve environmental conditions and prevent disease.

Overview of Individual Research Projects

As outlined below, the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health is currently conducting research in the following three main areas:
(1) Health effects of elements, (2) Health effects of acoustic stimulation, and (3) Skin and cosmetic science.

(1) Health Effects of Elements

1) Health effects of elemental contamination in drinking well water (International Joint Research)

It has been estimated that as many as 200 million people worldwide are forced to drink well water containing arsenic at concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization guideline values. Chronic arsenic poisoning is associated not only with skin hyperpigmentation and hyperkeratosis but also with life-threatening diseases such as skin cancer, as shown in Figure. Our laboratory conducts fieldwork in several Asian countries to collect well water samples. In addition to measuring heavy metal concentrations in well water using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we analyze the health effects of elemental exposure using molecular biological techniques, with the aim of linking our findings to health risk assessment and the development of preventive strategies. In recent years, we have successfully developed a low-cost purification material capable of adsorbing toxic elements. This material has been named Doctor Tableware®, and we are currently working toward its dissemination both domestically and internationally.

2) Environmental pollution associated with the leather industry (International Joint Research)

The leather industry is a massive global industry with a trade value exceeding 10 trillion yen, and it has been estimated that approximately six million workers are engaged in this sector worldwide. Most leather products are manufactured using chromium tanning. As economic globalization has progressed, environmentally hazardous chromium tanning processes have increasingly been shifted to developing countries. Our laboratory investigates elemental contamination, including chromium pollution, associated with the leather industry and its health effects, and also promotes the development of technologies to remediate elemental contamination.

3) The intersection between Japanese cedar pollinosis and environmental pollution (interdisciplinary research)

It has been suggested that air pollution may contribute to the rapid increase in Japanese cedar pollinosis. However, scientific evidence directly linking these factors remains insufficient. Our laboratory has demonstrated, in both humans and experimental animal models, that lead (Pb) contained in cedar pollen and tin (Sn) present in PM2.5 may exacerbate allergic rhinitis, including Japanese cedar pollinosis. We will continue to elucidate the relationship between airborne elements and allergic rhinitis.

4) Health effects of elements in food (epidemiological research)

Foods contain a wide variety of elements, commonly referred to as minerals. Using data from an epidemiological study involving approximately 2,800 participants, namely the J-MICC Study, our laboratory is conducting epidemiological analyses to examine the relationships among dietary intake, elemental exposure, and health outcomes.

Recent Related Publications
01. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2021a
02. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2021b
03. Journal of Environmental Management 2022
04. Separation and Purification Technology 2023
05. Redox Biology 2023
06. Environment International 2024
07. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 2025
08. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2025a
09. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2025b
10. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2025
11. Allergy 2026

(2) Health Effects of Acoustic Stimulation

1) Adverse effects of noise

It has long been known that noise exposure can induce hearing loss. In fact, in 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that prolonged listening to loud music through personal audio devices such as smartphones places approximately 1.1 billion young people worldwide aged 12 to 35 years, nearly half of this population, at increased risk of hearing loss.
In recent years, health disorders caused by low frequency noise have been widely reported as a social concern. Using experimental animal models, our laboratory has demonstrated that exposure to high intensity and long duration low frequency noise may induce dysfunction of the inner ear vestibular system, leading to balance disorders such as dizziness. These findings indicate that low frequency noise has specific target organs and may induce adverse health effects through functional impairment of these target organs.

2) Beneficial effects of noise

Our laboratory proposes that short term exposure to low frequency noise (sound spice®) at an appropriate sound level may improve conditions such as vertigo and motion sickness through activation of inner ear vestibular function. We have also shown that low frequency noise may act on vascular endothelial cells and improve blood flow via nitric oxide mediated mechanisms. These findings suggest that appropriate use of low frequency noise has the potential to promote health. We would be pleased to collaborate with partners who are interested in advancing the social implementation of these inventions together with us.

Related Publications
01. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2010
02. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2011
03. Neurobiology of Aging 2012
05. Neurotoxicology 2012
06. Archives of Toxicology 2014b
07. Archives of Toxicology 2019
08. Science of the Total Environment 2022
09. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025

(3) Skin and Cosmetic Science

1) Melasma and vitiligo

It is well known that aging and oxidative stress, such as ultraviolet radiation, modify melanocyte function in the skin and affect melanin production. Our laboratory has newly established a model mouse that develops intense pigmentation within a short period specifically at sites exposed to ultraviolet irradiation. In humans, pigmentation disorders such as melasma induced by ultraviolet exposure represent a major cosmetic concern. Therefore, we believe that elucidation of the mechanisms underlying melasma development and the development of preventive and therapeutic agents using this model mouse will contribute to the field of dermatology. In addition, we analyze regulatory mechanisms of skin melanin and melanocytes, including those involved in melasma, and have developed in vitro techniques to screen preventive and therapeutic agents effective against melasma and related pigmentation disorders. Furthermore, these cell-based screening approaches have the potential to facilitate the development of novel skin whitening agents and are expected to contribute to cosmetic science.

2) Hair science

Aging and oxidative stress are also deeply involved in hair related functions, such as alopecia and graying, through modification of melanocyte function. Our laboratory has generated multiple model mice in which hair regrowth after shaving occurs more rapidly than in control mice. In addition, we have established several original mouse models of hair graying and are analyzing the molecular mechanisms underlying hair loss and graying. As shown in the figure, we have demonstrated in graying model mice that not only topical application but also oral administration of luteolin (Ltn) may prevent hair graying. Moreover, in recent years, we have developed techniques based on the mechanisms of hair graying to conduct in vitro screening of compounds with preventive effects against hair loss and hair graying.

Recent Related Publications
01. Aging Cell 2020
02. Cancer Cell International 2024
03. European Journal of Immunology 2024
04. Environmental Pollution 2024
05. Antioxidants 2024
06. Cancer Immunology Research 2026

Recruitment of graduate students and young scientists

Many prospective students wish to begin research but are unsure about which research topic to pursue, while others have already started research and are interested in challenging themselves in a different field. In reality, it can be surprisingly difficult to identify research that is both personally suitable and intellectually rewarding. The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health offers a wide range of research opportunities, from cutting-edge molecular biology to field-based studies including epidemiological research, allowing students to choose research topics that best match their interests and aptitudes.
Those who wish to enroll in the Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University are encouraged to contact us at the email address below.
Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health
Professor: Masashi KATO
E-mail: meieisei[a]med.nagoya-u.ac.jp (Please replace [a] with @)

Fields with Strong Prospects for Future Careers

1. Educators and Researchers
   Graduates may pursue careers as educators and researchers at universities and research institutes. In fact, many individuals who have obtained their degrees in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health are currently active as faculty members and researchers at top level research institutions and universities across various Asian countries.
2. Researchers in Industry
   By applying advanced and broad-based knowledge and skills in molecular biology, epidemiology, and related fields, graduates may also pursue careers as researchers in industry. Many graduate students receive job offers as researchers at pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and environment related companies.
3. Overseas Study and Research
   Our laboratory is engaged in international collaborative research with more than 10 overseas laboratories. Depending on individual interests and preferences, we can also introduce and recommend opportunities for study and research abroad.
4. Occupational Health Professionals, Including Industrial Physicians
   Medical doctors may work as industrial physicians, while non-medical professionals may contribute to occupational health by obtaining qualifications such as health supervisors, work environment measurement experts, or occupational health consultants. Through these roles, they can play an important part in preventing occupational diseases and promoting the health and well-being of workers.
5. Public Health Administration
   We would be delighted if graduates aspire to careers in public health administration at domestic and international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, or public health research institutes, contributing to health administration both in Japan and worldwide.