The main focus of many people these days seems to be ridding ourselves of toxin exposure as much as we can. We have air filters in our homes, water filters in our refrigerator. We drink out of BPA-free water bottles and eat organic food. We shun pesticides and chemical cleaners. But is it possible that all this is for naught? What if our DNA and what happens to our lives and health has less to do with what we do now, and more to do with what our grandparents did?

Studies are suggesting that toxins can cause damage up to three generations later, at least as seen in animal testing. A Mother Jones article on the topic had many interesting findings, including this:

In 2005, Dr. Skinner and colleagues—acknowledged pioneers in this new field of transgenerational epigenetics—reported in Science that four generations of offspring of a pregnant, fungicide-exposed rat exhibited reduced sperm counts and impaired sperm motility. Since then, Dr. Skinner’s team has published a series of papers in leading journals documenting a range of conditions that can be induced in rats through an ancestral toxic exposure that does not change the genetic code; these include prostate disease, kidney disease, immune system abnormalities, and high cholesterol.

We all know environmental factors can influence your life, but it is surprising to think that they can also influence many generations of our family’s lives as well through DNA.

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