Under the same roof: what can our pets tell us about the environment we share?

Humans and companion animals often share the same home, the same everyday environment – and potentially the same exposure to chemicals. In this project, researchers are exploring how pets may help us better understand environmental health risks that can affect both animals and people. The project was awarded seed funding through SLU Future One Health’s 2024 call to develop a new interdisciplinary research collaboration and prepare a larger research application.

In this interview, we meet Ida Hallberg, a researcher at the Department of Clinical Sciences and the Department of Animal Biosciences at SLU, to find out how the project has developed since receiving seed funding. We ask what the funding has made possible, how the collaboration has progressed, and what role companion animals could play in understanding the links between our shared environment, chemical exposure and health.

Your research idea is based on the fact that humans and companion animals share the same everyday environment. What do you want to understand – and why is it important to investigate?

“Humans and pets live closely together and share the same indoor environment, which means we are exposed to many of the same chemicals from everyday products such as furniture, electronics, textiles, and food packaging. Some of these chemicals can disrupt hormone systems and increase the risk of disease in both humans and animals. By studying dogs, as they share our lifestyle but develop disease over a shorter time frame, we can better understand how environmental exposures affect health. This research is important from a One Health perspective, linking environmental, animal, and human health. Ultimately, the goal is to provide evidence that can help decision-makers restrict harmful chemicals and create a healthier shared living environment.”

How has the seed funding helped you develop the collaboration and the research idea – and how did the larger application go?

“The seed funding allowed us to bring together researchers from several disciplines, including veterinary medicine, toxicology, environmental chemistry, and public health. Through workshops and discussions, we refined the research idea, identified key knowledge gaps, and strengthened collaborations. The seed funding resulted in three larger research proposals focused on chemical exposure and health in humans and animals. The process helped strengthen the collaboration network and define the next steps for the research, and we continue to build on these ideas in new applications.”

You describe companion animals as possible “early warning signs” for environment-related health risks. How can they help us detect or better understand risks in the environment that humans also live in?

“Dogs and cats share our homes and are exposed to many of the same chemicals as humans through air, dust, food, and consumer products in the indoor environment. Because they often develop disease earlier in life, they can help us identify environmental health risks and better understand how shared exposures affect both animals and humans.”

What insights have you gained so far, and what opportunities or challenges do you see ahead?

“One important insight we have gained is how valuable interdisciplinary collaboration is for understanding complex environmental health questions. Looking forward, we need larger datasets and long-term studies to better connect chemical exposures with health effects in both pets and humans.”

Looking a few years ahead, what do you hope this research collaboration will have led to – both scientifically and for society?

“We hope this collaboration will improve our understanding of how environmental chemicals affect animal and human health within a One Health framework. In the long term, we want the research to support safer chemical regulations and healthier indoor environments for both people and pets.”