--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The study of how substances alter gene…" description: "\"The study of how substances alter gene expression is part of the field of epigenetics. Some chemical exposures appear to turn on and turn off genes in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/sandra-steingraber-26626_cancer_the-study-of-how-substances-alter-gene-e_1483896.jpg" --- # The study of how substances alter gene expression is part… ![“The study of how substances alter gene expression is part of the field of epigenetics. Some chemical exposures appear to turn on and turn off genes in ways that disregulate cell growth and predispose for cancer. From this perspective, our genes are less the command-and-control masters of our cells…” quote by Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/sandra-steingraber-26626_cancer_the-study-of-how-substances-alter-gene-e_1483896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/sandra-steingraber-26626_cancer_the-study-of-how-substances-alter-gene-e_1483896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/sandra-steingraber-26626_cancer_the-study-of-how-substances-alter-gene-e_1483896.jpg) > “The study of how substances alter gene expression is part of the field of epigenetics. Some chemical exposures appear to turn on and turn off genes in ways that disregulate cell growth and predispose for cancer. From this perspective, our genes are less the command-and-control masters of our cells and more like the keys of piano, with the environment as the hands of the pianist.” [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Environmental chemicals can switch genes on/off, influencing disease risk like a pianist playing keys. **In simple terms:** Chemicals affect gene activity. Key Takeaway Limit harmful exposures. Themes health environment epigenetics cancer Mood concerned urgent Type educational informative When to use this quote - diet choices - policy advocacy - personal health monitoring Key Concepts gene regulation toxicology Questions to Reflect On - How can you reduce chemical exposure daily? - What policies could protect communities? A Different Perspective Genetic predisposition still matters alongside environment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Command and control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command-and-control/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Exposure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposure/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Pianist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianist/) [Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano/) [Pollution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollution/) ## Related quotes > [“This exciting new field of epigenetics--meaning literally "around" the gene--allows us to see how environmental factors alter our gene expression in a specific place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodson-merrell/this-exciting-new-field-of-epigenetics-meaning-literally-around-the/) [Woodson Merrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodson-merrell/) > [“We recognize that you've used substances to try to regain your lost balance, to try to feel the way you did before the need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/we-recognize-that-you-ve-used-substances-to-try-to-regain-your-lost/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [“Consider this: the human genome codes for about 1,500 different TFs, contains 4,000,000 TF-binding sites, and the average cell uses about 200,000 such sites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/consider-this-the-human-genome-codes-for-about-1-500-different-tfs/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [The big idea we start with is: "How is the genome interpreted, and how are stable decisions that affect gene expression inherited from one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-m-tilghman/the-big-idea-we-start-with-is-how-is-the-genome-interpreted-and-how/) Shirley M. Tilghman > [Early experience shapes the structure and function of the brain. This reveals the fundamental way in which gene expression is determined by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/early-experience-shapes-the-structure-and-function-of-the-brain-this/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [The environment can actually affect gene expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-marmot/the-environment-can-actually-affect-gene-expression/) [Michael Marmot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-marmot/) > [As a sensitive and highly intuitive person in the command-and-control corporate world, I always felt miscast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-allen/as-a-sensitive-and-highly-intuitive-person-in-the-command-and-control/) [Kevin Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-allen/) > [To put it another way, I believe that purpose and principle, clearly understood and articulated, and commonly shared, are the genetic code of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-hock/to-put-it-another-way-i-believe-that-purpose-and-principle-clearly/) [Dee Hock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-hock/) > [The budget for nuclear forces in the United States is on the order of $25 billion or so. That includes warheads, delivery systems, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/the-budget-for-nuclear-forces-in-the-united-states-is-on-the-order-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [We could still have continued the arms race, but the arms race was pointless, and it was another reason we decided to start perestroika.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/we-could-still-have-continued-the-arms-race-but-the-arms-race-was/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [Many companies operate from more of a command-and-control environment - they decide what's going to happen at headquarters and have the organization execute. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/many-companies-operate-from-more-of-a-command-and-control-environment/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [Instead of command and control, managing the creative process is about facilitating and permitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/instead-of-command-and-control-managing-the-creative-process-is-about/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [There's increasing consciousness that a "command and control" style of management which one associates with a male model isn't necessarily what works anymore, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/there-s-increasing-consciousness-that-a-command-and-control-style-of/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [For so long, companies were run using a command-and-control, 'top down' hierarchical method that involved dictating down the command chain and maintaining order. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-allen/for-so-long-companies-were-run-using-a-command-and-control-top-down/) [Kevin Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-allen/) > [Leadership is the sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding, and moral character that enables a person to inspire and control a group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-lejeune/leadership-is-the-sum-of-those-qualities-of-intellect-human/) [John A. Lejeune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-lejeune/) ## More by Sandra Steingraber > [In the world outside this glass room, songbirds are feeding and resting in the trees. Some will take off tonight and not land until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/in-the-world-outside-this-glass-room-songbirds-are-feeding-and/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [We can change our thinking. Rather than viewing the chemical adulteration of our environment and our bodies as the inevitable practice of convenience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/we-can-change-our-thinking-rather-than-viewing-the-chemical/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [I have come to believe that extracting natural gas from shale using the newish technique called hydrofracking is the environmental issue of our time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/i-have-come-to-believe-that-extracting-natural-gas-from-shale-using/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [I have always been a big advocate of tap water-not because I think it harmless but because the idea of purchasing water extracted from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/i-have-always-been-a-big-advocate-of-tap-water-not-because-i-think-it/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Here in the United States, a study of nearly 700 women in California showed an increased risk of fetal death among babies whose mothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/here-in-the-united-states-a-study-of-nearly-700-women-in-california/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Drink a bottle of French water and then step into the shower for ten minutes and you've just received the exposure equivalent of drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/drink-a-bottle-of-french-water-and-then-step-into-the-shower-for-ten/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [“Prenatal care means taking care of water, fish, and glaciers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/prenatal-care-means-taking-care-of-water-fish-and-glaciers/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-inquire-flows-the-obligation/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [By 1990, the EPA had tallied up 32,645 sites of past chemical waste dumping in need of cleanup. Some of these are actual waste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/by-1990-the-epa-had-tallied-up-32-645-sites-of-past-chemical-waste/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Industrialized countries have disproportionately more cancers than countries with little or no industry (after adjusting for age and population size). One half of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/industrialized-countries-have-disproportionately-more-cancers-than/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [We are all musicians in a great human orchestra, and it is now time to play the Save the World Symphony. You are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/we-are-all-musicians-in-a-great-human-orchestra-and-it-is-now-time-to/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [“birth defects, as well as congenital heart problems, were elevated in communities served by a drinking water reservoir that had been contaminated with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/birth-defects-as-well-as-congenital-heart-problems-were-elevated-in/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Besides, the sense of safety offered by bottled water is a mirage. It turns out that breathing, not drinking, constitutes our main route of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/besides-the-sense-of-safety-offered-by-bottled-water-is-a-mirage-it/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Between the late 1950s and the late 1980s, more than 750 million tons of chemical wastes were discarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/between-the-late-1950s-and-the-late-1980s-more-than-750-million-tons/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [The scientific analysis that is supposed to provide our Governor the facts and information he needs to make a crucial decision was crafted with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/the-scientific-analysis-that-is-supposed-to-provide-our-governor-the/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) [Explore all 21 Sandra Steingraber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) ## More Cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. 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If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“the doctor hesitated before breaking the news to her. 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Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The study of how substances alter gene expression is part of the field of epigenetics. Some chemical exposures appear to turn on and turn off genes in ways that disregulate cell growth and predispose for cancer. 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