In this modern society, it is very important to bring up discussions about “race” and the validity of the term as it applies to genetics and as a separator of “race”, and in many cases used as a disease indicator. Many have brainstormed on the issue on whether “race” classification is an environmental injustice and risk miscommunication for risk assessment markers. Is race the primary determinant of a health outcome or is it the environmental or extrinsic factors, or both and in what proportion? In my response, I addressed the issue as follow “…Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes and all the genes in humans are conserved across the so called “race” groups.” For instance, if race is such a determining factor why is it that Down syndrome condition is not classified as a different race because, unfortunately, the condition and the environment allowed an extra chromosome than will be found in normal humans?” Perhaps, “Tay-Sachs disease and sickle-cell anemia are not a race factor because, for instance if a White person or any other race is exposed to the environment that induces the sickle cell mutation, the mutation will occur in their gene, the same is true with Tay-Sachs condition. Could it be possible that light skin (white), dark skin (black) and other skin tone are also conditions? In Africa, random mutation does occur that causes albino conditions (light skin individuals). Perhaps, unless the laws of genetic science prove that a Black person do not have Tay-Sachs genes then the science of “Race” will be a valid genetic separator, the gene sequence is there in every race, but produces different proteins due to the temerity of extrinsic factors that cause some few changes in the gene sequence.

Therefore, all humans have the Tay-Sach and sickle cell gene, but in some population, the mutation that induces the disease did not occur. However, the lack of the mutation does not make the population immune from the disease because if exposed to the extrinsic factors capable of inducing the mutation overtime, any population subjected to the factors may develop the same phenotypic or health outcome/ condition. The same is probably possible for Blacks to acquire gene mutations predominantly seen in Whites. This discussion is an example of how bias and politicized science have become, and it have been embedded in the educational and many scholar systems.” Absolutely, without any scientific evidence to prove that race exists, “Race” is a human-made term, and, unfortunately, the society have been conditioned to accept the term as a genetic marker.

Apparently, as much as the society or institutions may try to avoid the reality about race as human-made terms due to its sensitivity and the history, it is very important in the environmental justice, risk-communication and risk assessment, in today’s science. Most importantly, a question to ask is, has such classifications created a false sense of “Pygmalion society”, a condition whereby high expectations lead to success and/or a “Golem society”, an effect in which low expectations lead to low performance? Whatever it is, public health practitioners, should pay more attention should to the root of environmental factors to disease outcome.

Reference

National Institute of Health. (n.d.).  Understanding human genetic variation.  Retrieved from   http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih1/genetic/guide/genetic_variation1.htm