Europe's leading scientists submit major research proposal to combat the impact of environmental degradation of health
ESF news release - issued 09/06/1999 - embargoed until 0001hrs Wednesday 16 June
21/09/2001
Press contact: Andrew Smith, ESF
Leading scientists from across Europe have identified key areas where further research is urgently required if the region is to minimise the social and economic impacts of environmental degradation on health. The proposal, coordinated by the European Science Foundation (ESF), an association of 65 science funding agencies and top research institutes in 22 countries, will be presented to the Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in London on Wednesday 16 June 1999. If accepted and adequate funding is forthcoming, the pan-European research programme will be the largest of its kind ever in the region.
Developed after extensive consultation with more than 200 scientists, from neurologists to epidemiologists, and in partnership with the World Health Organisation Regional Office Europe and the European Commission, the paper calls for further research in five main areas that are not adequately addressed by other studies in Europe:
i) Air quality
Amongst air pollutants, inhalable and especially respirable particles from anthropogenic sources cause the greatest concern but little is known about the scale of their effect on health, especially their contribution to chronic diseases. With people spending, on average, 95% of their time indoors, further research is also required into indoor pollution, including the role played by combustion appliances, furniture and building materials.
Recommended research:
* Identify mechanisms of effects related to short- and long-term exposure to particles and air pollution mix, considering their physical and chemical characterisation.
* Improve understanding of the effects of long-term exposure to particulate matter and the air pollution mix.
* Determine the role of biological contaminants in indoor environments in the causation and exacerbation of allergies (including asthma) and other disorders.
ii) Water quality and drinking water
Exposure to waterborne microbiological pathogens, such as protozoa and viruses, poses a significant threat to health. As groundwater becomes more limited, leading to greater reliance on surface water for drinking water, this risk is likely to increase.
Recommended research:
* Identify the sources of waterborne pathogens and determine their impact on health, paying particular attention to the role of recently recognised pathogens, including protozoa and viruses.
* Develop quantitative methods for risk characterisation for infectious agents.
iii) Environmental effects on cognitive functions
Exposure to chemical substances such as metals and organic solvents can damage the central nervous system and impair mental functions. Physical factors, including noise and heat, also have an impact. These can be a particular problem in schools and workplaces, impairing learning and memory.
Recommended research:
* Evaluate to what extent chemical and physical agents contribute to impaired mental and cognitive functions.
iv) Children and unintentional injuries
Accidents and unintentional injuries are the commonest cause of hospital attendance amongst children and account for 30% of all childhood deaths in Europe. Patterns of injury are closely correlated to age and socio-economic status but lack of appropriate routine national morbidity data in this field is constraining insights into this problem and the development of suitable preventative measures.
Recommended research:
* Evaluate interventions to identify the most effective strategies for preventing unintentional injuries to children.
v) Climatic change and stratospheric ozone depletion
Climatic variability will increase the frequency of injuries and heat- and cold-related illnesses and deaths. Stratospheric ozone depletion, in turn, will cause ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced disorders, including skin cancers, cataracts and possibly immune suppression.
Recommended research:
* Improve the epidemiological and mechanistic science base and develop predictive methods for assessing the future health risks of human-induced climate change and increased exposure to UV radiation.
Commenting on the research recommendations, Sir Dai Rees, President of the ESF, said: "Unless we understand the true relative risks and impacts of different forms of environmental degradation, there is a danger that policy makers will misallocate resources to problems that have little effect on health and overlook some of the positive opportunities that exist. Due to the fact that environmental degradation does not respect national boundaries, these issues must be investigated at a pan-European level."
It is anticipated that international cooperation involving the ESF, WHO-EURO and the EC will facilitate a pan-European coordinated approach to carrying out this wide-ranging programme of research.
The proposal also suggests further work in a number of areas that cut across its five research priorities. These include:
vi) Risk assessment
* Improved methodologies for exposure and effect assessment.
* Further develop quantitative chemical risk characterisation.
* Develop methods to assess the oral and respiratory allerginicity of agents.
* Develop methods for the identification of genetic and non-genetic susceptibility.
vii) Environmental contribution to social variations in health
* Investigate to what extent the link between socioeconomic status and health is mediated by environmental factors.
viii) Cognitive functions as mediators of environmental effects on health
* Identify psychological and psychobiological mechanisms of symptom formation and determine the prevalence, impact and outcomes of health beliefs concerning unexplained symptoms and environmental syndromes.
* Evaluate existing and identify best strategies of risk management for environmental incidents, to limit their psychosocial impact.
There is also an overarching need to develop a meaningful set of environment and health indicators to monitor, compare and prioritise environment and health benefits. And efforts to improve the comparability of data should also be improved, claims the document.
Ends
Press contacts:
Andrew Smith
Head of Communication and Information, ESF
or
Professor Robert Kroes
ENHE Programme Coordinator
Notes for editors:
1. The European Science Foundation is the European association of 65 major national funding agencies devoted to scientific research in 22 countries. The ESF assists its member organisations in two main ways: by bringing scientists together in its scientific programmes, networks, exploratory workshops and European research conferences, to work on topics of common concern, and through the joint study of issues of strategic importance in European science policy.
2. The ESF’s Environment and Health (ENHE) programme is part of a joint initiative with the WHO-Europe and the European Commission to draw up a coherent R&D Plan to be presented to the 1999 London Intergovernmental Conference on Environment and Health. It has focused on identifying research priorities in support of policy formulation in those areas identified by ministers at the last conference in Helsinki 1994.
3. Further reading: An Environment for Better Health - integrated report of the ESF Environment and Health Programme, edited by Professor Robert Kroes, ISBN 2-912049-05-9 , published ESF June 1999. The conference document is available at http://www.who.dk/London99/research02e.htm
Issued 09.06.99
For further information contact : Andrew Smith
