Europe launches a new human biomonitoring initiative
The ultimate goal is to contribute to the improvement of the health and well-being of the population by generating knowledge about the exposure of citizens to chemical pollutants and their possible effects on health. The National Center for Environmental Health of the Carlos III Health Institute (CNSA-ISCIII) leads the Spanish participation. The program will run over 5 years and has a budget of more than 74 million euros
The European Commission has just presented in Brussels the launch of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) under the auspices of the Slovak Presidency of the EU Council. The program, which will begin on January 1, 2017, will be developed over 5 years and has an estimated budget of more than 74 million euros, countries aims to coordinate and advance human biovigilance in Europe
HBM4EU is co-financed through Horizon 2020, more than 100 European institutions from 26 countries participate and its ultimate goal is to contribute to improving the health and well-being of the population by generating knowledge about the exposure of citizens to chemical pollutants and its possible health effects. This knowledge is essential to be able to develop and implement effective policies for the protection of the population.
The National Center for Environmental Health of the Carlos III Health Institute (CNSA-ISCIII) leads the Spanish participation in which, among others, the Barcelona Global Health Institute (former CREAL), the Andalusian School of Public Health, and the University of Granada as third parties linked to it. Spain will receive 2,3 million euros of European co-financing; of which it is estimated that the ISCIII will receive a contribution of more than 1,5 million euros, which represents 3% of the total financing.
The event was opened with the participation of the Secretary of State for Health of the Slovak Republic, Mr. Stanislav Špánik, and the European Commissioners for Research, Science and Innovation, Mr. Carlos Moedas, of Health and Food Safety, Mr. Vytenis Andriukaitis, and Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Mr. Karmenu Vella, as well as other representatives of the General Directorates of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW) and the Joint Research Center (JRC) demonstrating the relevance of the conference and the high interest of Europe in human biovigilance. The ISCIII was represented by Algelia Castaño, Director of the CNSA.
Exposure to chemicals
Biomonitoring in humans is defined as the estimation of exposure to chemical substances present in the environment by directly measuring these substances or their derivatives in biological samples such as blood, urine, hair, etc.
Human Biological Biomonitoring (HBM) studies provide a very useful tool in public health to know the exposure to environmental pollutants of the general population. Biomonitoring makes it possible to identify and eliminate possible sources of exposure, study relationships between pollutants and health effects, identify groups of populations vulnerable to certain pollutants, and set priorities in research on the environment and health.
Biomonitoring is also used in health policies, as a basis for the development of laws aimed at reducing pollution by chemical products. An example is the introduction of unleaded gasoline: since its introduction, a significant reduction in blood lead levels in the population has been demonstrated. Since it has been shown that inhalation of lead can damage the nervous system, the reduction of the levels has therefore decreased the risk of damage to the nervous system.
Further information:
https://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2016/hbm4eu/index.cfm
