Suchergebnisse

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 ...

Ziel des FuE-Vorhabens war es, Deutschland als Vertragsstaat des Stockholmer Übereinkommens bei der Umsetzung des Übereinkommens und der EU-POP-Verordnung 850/2004 zu unterstützen. Zur Stärkung des nationalen Netzwerkes wurde eine an die Bundesländer adressierte Fragebogenaktion zu den Überwachungs- und Berichtspflichten sowie zum Informationsfluss bzgl. POP durchgeführt und ein Workshop mit Vertreter_innen des Bundes und der Länder veranstaltet. Zur Stärkung der UBA-internen Zusammenarbeit wurde ebenfalls ein Workshop organisiert. Fachliche Beiträge zur Unterstützung der internationalen Arbeit des UBA beinhalteten eine maßgebliche Mitwirkung am Entwurf des Risikomanagement-Dossiers für den POP-Kandidaten PFOA, dessen Salze und verwandte Verbindungen, die Bestandsaufnahme aller Ausnahmen von Stoffverboten und Beschränkungen sowie einen vergleichenden Überblick über die Berichterstattung nach EU-POP-Verordnung und die Erstellung des Nationalen Durchführungsplans (NIP). UBA und BMU wurden zudem beim Verfahren zur Neufassung der EU-POP-Verordnung (Recast) unterstützt. Zusätzlich wurde ein Toolkit entwickelt, das zur effizienten Identifizierung potenzieller POP im Rahmen von Genehmigungsverfahren für Pflanzenschutzmittel und Biozide beiträgt.

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. ...

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.

Background: To date Health information (HI) in the European Union does not comprise indicators or other information related to impacts of hazardous chemicals in consumer products, food, drinking water or air on the health status of the population. Therefore, we inventorised and evaluated the potential of environmental health surveillance and research data sources in the European population to provide HBM-based indicators of internal human exposure and health impact of relevant chemicals. Methods: We established an up-dated inventory of European cross-sectional Human Biomonitoring (HBM) surveys and of birth cohorts, and compared chemicals and chemical groups addressed by HBM with indicators and health end points collected via European Core Health Indicators (ECHI), in birth registries, as well as in environmental and food data bases and health registries to see on how data collection could be aligned. Finally, we investigated study designs of HBM survey and health examination surveys for potential synergies. Results: The inventory covers a total of 11 European cross-sectional national programmes and a large number of birth cohorts and includes information on study population, age groups, covered substances, sampled matrices, and frequency. The comparison of data collections shows that there are many overlaps between environmental chemicals with environmental and health reporting. HBM data could be linked with ECHI indicators for work-related risks, body mass index (BMI), and low birth weight, with perinatal disease, neurologic disorders, and some chronic diseases, or with data bases for e.g. indoor air, food, or consumer products. Existing initiatives to link data collections at European Environment Agency (EEA) and Joint Research Center (JRC) or at World Health Organization (WHO) are good options to further develop linkage of HBM with exposures sources and health end points. Conclusions: There is potential to use HBM based information in a number of public health policies, and this would help to align reporting to international commitments. Environmental health surveillance based on HBM and HBM-based indicators, is an excellent tool to inform public health policies about risks from environmental chemicals, and the EU health information system would benefit from additional HBM-based indicators for monitoring exposure burden from environmental chemicals. Considerable efforts are needed to align and establish routine data collections and to develop a surveillance system and indicators which may inform public health policies.

Background: To date Health information (HI) in the European Union does not comprise indicators or other information related to impacts of hazardous chemicals in consumer products, food, drinking water or air on the health status of the population. Therefore, we inventorised and evaluated the potential of environmental health surveillance and research data sources in the European population to provide HBM-based indicators of internal human exposure and health impact of relevant chemicals. Methods: We established an up-dated inventory of European cross-sectional Human Biomonitoring (HBM) surveys and of birth cohorts, and compared chemicals and chemical groups addressed by HBM with indicators and health end points collected via European Core Health Indicators (ECHI), in birth registries, as well as in environmental and food data bases and health registries to see on how data collection could be aligned. Finally, we investigated study designs of HBM survey and health examination surveys for potential synergies. Results: The inventory covers a total of 11 European cross-sectional national programmes and a large number of birth cohorts and includes information on study population, age groups, covered substances, sampled matrices, and frequency. The comparison of data collections shows that there are many overlaps between environmental chemicals with environmental and health reporting. HBM data could be linked with ECHI indicators for work-related risks, body mass index (BMI), and low birth weight, with perinatal disease, neurologic disorders, and some chronic diseases, or with data bases for e.g. indoor air, food, or consumer products. Existing initiatives to link data collections at European Environment Agency (EEA) and Joint Research Center (JRC) or at World Health Organization (WHO) are good options to further develop linkage of HBM with exposures sources and health end points. Conclusions: There is potential to use HBM based information in a number of public health policies, and this would help to align reporting to international commitments. Environmental health surveillance based on HBM and HBM-based indicators, is an excellent tool to inform public health policies about risks from environmental chemicals, and the EU health information system would benefit from additional HBM-based indicators for monitoring exposure burden from environmental chemicals. Considerable efforts are needed to align and establish routine data collections and to develop a surveillance system and indicators which may inform public health policies. ; This paper was written as part of the BRIDGE Health Project (664691 / BRIDGE Health). We would like to thank the European Commission for their funding under the European Union's Health Programme (2014–2020) and all project partners for their contribution and support. ; Sí