Effects of Pollutant Exposure on Human Health as Studied with Selected EU Projects
Investigations on the precise impact of environmental pollutants on human health are difficult to study, because many factors, like genetic background, age, sex, diseases, exposure history and environment, affect at the same time and to varying degrees. E
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Effects of Pollutant Exposure on Human Health as Studied with Selected EU Projects Arja Rautio Abstract Investigations on the precise impact of environmental pollutants on human health are difficult to study, because many factors, like genetic background, age, sex, diseases, exposure history and environment, affect at the same time and to varying degrees. Environmental factors include mixtures of contaminants and other chemical compounds to which individuals are commonly exposed. Knowledge about the effects of mixtures is mainly missing and difficult to study at population level. The incidence of many diseases has increased and it has been assumed that pollutants may have a contributing effect especially in the exposed populations. Exposure during the fetal period is in special attention in the epidemiological and mechanistic (in vitro) studies, because fetal stage is the most vulnerable during human life. During the last decade there have been several research projects under the framework of the EU, which have focused on potential toxicity at low exposure levels of environmental contaminants to child development (like ENRICO, OBELIX, CLEAR, INUENDO, ArcRisk, PHIME). One goal of these research programmes has been to collect all the existing evidence about the associations between environmental contaminants and measured health outcomes. In this chapter the main aims and results of these projects will be introduced and discussed. The evaluation of potential health risks and their magnitude is needed. Keywords Environmental health • Contaminants • Toxic metals • Epidemiological studies • Risk assessment • Exposure
A. Rautio (*) Centre for Arctic Medicine, Thule Institute, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland e-mail: arja.rautio@oulu.fi © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 J.M. Pacyna, E.G. Pacyna (eds.), Environmental Determinants of Human Health, Molecular and Integrative Toxicology, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-43142-0_4
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Abbreviations AMAP ArcRisk
CHICOS CLEAR
COPHES DALY DDE DDT DEMOCOPHES EBoDE EDC ENRIECO EU HBM INUENDO
OBELIX
PCB153 PHIME POPs
4.1
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program Arctic Health Risks: Impacts on health in the Arctic and Europe owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling— research project Developing a Child Cohort Research Strategy for Europe— research project Comparison of health risks in populations in the Arctic and selected areas in Europe due to the spreading of contaminants resulting from climate change; Climate change, Environmental contaminants and Reproductive health—research project Consortium to perform human biomonitoring on a European scale—research project Disability-adjusted life years Metabolite of DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane Demonstration of a study to coordinate and perform human biomonitoring on a European scale—research project Environmental Burden of Disease in European countries— research project Endocrine disrupting compounds Environmental Health Risks in European Birth Cohorts— research project European Union Human
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