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Protecting human health and the environment is one of the key aims of European policy. A lot has been achieved over the last decades but still a lot of substance related data are missing to enable politicians to take most appropriate decisions and actions. Especially human exposure data are necessary to verify estimates made in risk assessments and to monitor the presence of chemicals in the human body and hence in the environment. In order to obtain such human exposure data national authorities and research organisations in Europe joined efforts over the last years and are working towards a sustainable and harmonised human biomonitoring network in Europe. As the process is a step by step approach it is important to ensure that results are transferred among consecutive and parallel running projects. The present project aimed to use and further develop the knowledge and experience from the BRIDGE HEALTH project within the HBM4EU project (subtask 1). The experiences and results of BRIDGE HEALTH were assessed, and recommendations were made for relevant HBM4EU work packages. Besides this task, organisational support was provided for the annual HBM4EU consortium meetings of the partners, as well as the annual general assembly of the state actors controlling the national monitoring programmes (Governing Board) involved in HBM4EU. A strategic workshop was organised for the management team of HBM4EU and first organisational steps to prepare a high level HBM conference under the auspices of the German EU Council Presidency, which will take place on 2nd October 2020, were completed.

During the last decade, the European Union initiated several projects in the domains of public and environmental health. Within this framework, BRIDGE Health (Bridging Information and Data Generation for Evidence-based Health policy and Research) and HBM4EU (European human biomonitoring initiative) have been implemented. Whereas, the focus of BRIDGE Health was towards a sustainable and integrated health information system (HIS), the aim of HBM4EU is to improve evidence of the internal exposure of European citizens to environmental chemicals by human biomonitoring (HBM) and the impact of internal exposure on health. As both, environmental and public health determinants are important for health promotion, disease prevention and policy, BRIDGE Health and HBM4EU have overlapping aims and outcomes. In order to improve health information regarding public health and environmental health issues, best use and exchange of respective networks and project results is necessary. Both projects have implemented health information (HI) and HBM tasks in order to provide adequate environmental and public health information of the European population. Synergies of the projects were identified in the working progress and because of overlapping networks and experts a focused analysis of both projects was envisaged. This paper elaborates on the aims and outcomes of both projects and the benefit of merging and channelling research results for the use of better health information and policy making that may be of relevance for any other project in these research fields. The need for focused exchanges and collaborations between the projects were identified and benefits of exchanges were highlighted for the specific areas of indicator development, linkage of data repositories and the combination of HBM studies and health examination surveys (HES). Further recommendations for a European wide harmonisation among different tasks in the fields of public health and environmental health are being developed. Lessons learned from HBM4EU and BRIDGE ...

BACKGROUND: During the last decade, the European Union initiated several projects in the domains of public and environmental health. Within this framework, BRIDGE Health (Bridging Information and Data Generation for Evidence-based Health policy and Research) and HBM4EU (European human biomonitoring initiative) have been implemented. Whereas, the focus of BRIDGE Health was towards a sustainable and integrated health information system (HIS), the aim of HBM4EU is to improve evidence of the internal exposure of European citizens to environmental chemicals by human biomonitoring (HBM) and the impact of internal exposure on health. As both, environmental and public health determinants are important for health promotion, disease prevention and policy, BRIDGE Health and HBM4EU have overlapping aims and outcomes. In order to improve health information regarding public health and environmental health issues, best use and exchange of respective networks and project results is necessary. METHODS: Both projects have implemented health information (HI) and HBM tasks in order to provide adequate environmental and public health information of the European population. Synergies of the projects were identified in the working progress and because of overlapping networks and experts a focused analysis of both projects was envisaged. This paper elaborates on the aims and outcomes of both projects and the benefit of merging and channelling research results for the use of better health information and policy making that may be of relevance for any other project in these research fields. RESULTS: The need for focused exchanges and collaborations between the projects were identified and benefits of exchanges were highlighted for the specific areas of indicator development, linkage of data repositories and the combination of HBM studies and health examination surveys (HES). Further recommendations for a European wide harmonisation among different tasks in the fields of public health and environmental health are being developed. ...

The aim of the project was a review of the current version of the concept to identify persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances under the EU regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), hereafter referred to as "PBT concept". The German Environment Agency (UBA) contracted Oeko-Institut, ETH Zürich and BiPRO to review the current PBT concept and to propose updates and adjustments. The project was designated to support UBA in its active contribution to the identification of new PBT substances. In a first step, an evaluation of a number of already existing PBT/vPvB classifications was conducted, 57 of which were classified as non-PBT substances with a strong indication that 8 substances might be PBT substances. For the assessment of environmental monitoring data, substances detected in remote areas were compiled and examined based on EpiSuite estimations for their P and B properties. In order to further strengthen the PBT concept two main steps were carried out: a review of the PBT/vPvB concept as implemented under REACH, and the implementation of the concept with the aim to identify substances of very high concern, and proposals for updating the PBT concept by developing suggestions on how to overcome the major challenges. Proposals for amendments or adjustments of PBT concept were discussed on a workshop with international PBT experts in June 2017.

The OECD Test Guidelines (TG) for Chemicals are a specific tool for assessing the potential effects of chemicals on human health and the environment. These internationally standardised TGs for the testing of chemicals are used by industry, academia and authorities in the testing and evaluation of chemicals (industrial chemicals, pesticides, biocides, pharmaceuticals, etc.). As part of the OECD Test Guidelines Programme (TGP), the OECD TGs are developed and updated by the OECD Working Group of National Coordinators for the OECD Test Guidelines Programme (WNT). To ensure that the OECD TGs reflect the state of the art in science and technology and meet the regulatory requirements of member countries, the OECD TGs are to be continuously expanded and updated. As regular review of the OECD TGs is not a standard requirement, it is the responsibility of OECD member countries to identify, propose and implement the projects necessary to update the TGs. Therefore, the focus is often on guidelines in which member countries have a particular interest and for which sufficient resources are available to initiate a revision process. Test guidelines that may not be used as frequently or are of low interest tend to be neglected in this approach, although a revision may be necessary. The aim of this project was to identify OECD TGs that are not state of the art. Only OECD TGs that refer to the effects of chemicals on biotic systems, to the behaviour and fate of chemicals in the environment or to their physicochemical properties when used for environmental risk assessment were considered. Based on a detailed questionnaire, a comprehensive survey was conducted to identify the needs for TG revisions. Proposals for revising the TGs were evaluated in a second survey. Both surveys were open to all interested parties including industry, science, contract labs, NGOs and authorities. After completion of the surveys, the results were discussed in three thematic workshops. Recommendations for the revision of the OECD Test Guidelines were developed and prioritised, which were finally presented to the members of the WNT.

Um die nationalen Klimaschutzziele zu erreichen, muss eine umfassende energetische Sanierung den Energiebedarf im Gebäudealtbestand senken. Zur Dämmung der Außenwände sind Wärmedämmverbundsysteme (WDVS) eine gängige Option. Da den Vorteilen der WDVS aber auch Nachteile gegenüberstehen, stellt sich die Frage, wie der Blaue Engel als Umweltzeichen über die Festlegung geeigneter Kriterien Wärmedämmverbundsysteme als langfristig nachhaltiges Instrument des Klimaschutzes fördern kann. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurden im vorliegenden Projekt anhand von Expertengesprächen und Literaturrecherchen offene Fragen zu Brandschutzaspekten, ökobilanziellen Unterschieden, Rückbau- und Rezyklierbarkeit und den Einsatzmöglichkeiten biozidfreier Putze und biozidfreier Beschichtungen untersucht und geklärt. Neben einer Kurzanalyse der Marktsituation und einer Zusammenfassung der technischen Parameter von WDVS enthält dieser Bericht eine Analyse der baurechtlichen Anforderungen für die Verwendung von WDVS , eine Darstellung besonderer brandschutzrechtlicher Anforderungen und Klassifizierungen, eine Diskussion der rechtlichen und technischen Möglichkeiten für Rückbau und Recycling, eine vergleichende Bewertung ökobilanzieller Parameter sowie die Beschreibung und Auswertung eines Schnellbewitterungstests und einer Oberflächentauwasseranalyse. Das Ziel der experimentellen Tests war zu klären, welche Putze und Anstriche ohne Biozide gebrauchstauglich und für eine Auszeichnung mit dem Blauen Engel geeignet sind. Die Studie zeigte, dass die aktuelle Vergabegrundlage des "Blauen Engels für Wärmedämmverbundsysteme - RAL UZ 140 (Januar 2010)" den gegenwärtigen Wissensstand bereits gut abdeckt und nur in wenigen Punkten von Änderungen profitieren würde. Die Einführung von spezifischen Anforderungen für das Brandverhalten wurde derzeit aufgrund methodischer Schwierigkeiten zurückhaltend bewertet. In Bezug auf Ressourceneffizienzaspekte und Rezyklierbarkeit erscheinen ergänzende Kriterien für den Blauen Engel schwer umsetzbar zu sein. Die Verfügbarkeit von Informationen für die Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung über EPDs wird befürwortet. Biozidfreiheit sollte weiterhin ein Kriterium der Vergabegrundlage des Blauen Engels für die Putze und Beschichtungen bleiben. Es sei denn in der Zukunft würden Schutzstoffe entwickelt, die ausschließlich an der Fassade auf die Zielorganismen wirken und nicht in die Umwelt gelangen. Grundsätzlich könnten die Vorteile biozidfreier Dickschicht-Putzsysteme (z.B. ≥ 15mm), die nicht zum Algenbefall neigen, berücksichtigt werden. Es empfiehlt sich, die Durchführung eines definierten Schnellbewitterungstests in die Vergabekriterien für den Blauen Engel mit aufzunehmen, bei dem ein bestimmter Grenzwert unterschritten werden muss, um die Widerstandsfähigkeit gegenüber Aufwuchs nachzuweisen. Allerdings sollten die Kriterien für die Vergabegrundlage des Blauen Engels so gestaltet werden, dass bewährte und gut funktionierende nachhaltige Systeme aufgrund einzelner Festlegungen nicht ausgeschlossen werden. In der Funktionalität bewährten biozidfreien Produkten sollte der Marktzugang nicht erschwert werden.

In der vorliegenden Studie wurde eine Recherche zur aktuellen toxikologischen bzw. epidemiologischen Datenlage von 20 in der Trinkwasserverordnung regulierten perfluorierten Alkylsubstanzen (⁠PFAS⁠, C4-C13 Carbon- und Sulfonsäuren) sowie 4 Ersatzstoffen (GenX, ADONA, 6:2 FTSA, C604) durchgeführt. Ziel war eine Aufbereitung dieser Daten als Grundlage für die toxikologische Bewertung der Substanzen mit Bezug auf ihr Vorkommen im Trinkwasser. Die erhobenen Daten sollen die Grundlagen für die Berechnung von gesundheitlich begründeten Leitwerten oder die Ableitung von Gesundheitlichen Orientierungswerten (GOW) für das Trinkwasser bilden. Die eigentliche Berechnung der Leitwerte und die Ableitung von GOW ist jedoch nicht Bestandteil dieser Studie.

In the present study, a search was carried out on the current toxicological and epidemiological data on 20 perfluorinated alkyl substances (⁠PFAS⁠, C4-C13 carboxylic and sulfonic acids) regulated in the Drinking Water Ordinance as well as 4 substitutes (GenX, ADONA, 6:2 FTSA, C604). The aim was to prepare this data as a basis for the toxicological assessment of the substances with regard to their occurrence in drinking water. The data collected is intended to form the basis for the calculation of health-related guide values ​​or the derivation of health-related indicator values ​​(HRIV, German GOW) for drinking water. However, the actual calculation of the hr- guide values ​​and the derivation of HRIV/GOW is not part of this study.