100 likes | 206 Views
REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH INFORMATION UNDER THE EU E&H ACTION PLAN 2004-2010 Work on ambient air APHEIS Network Meeting Ispra 6-7 June 2006 Scott Brockett, DG ENV. Background. Series of meetings focusing on four main exposure routes, plus two other issues Ambient air Indoor air
E N D
REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH INFORMATION UNDER THE EU E&H ACTION PLAN 2004-2010 Work on ambient air APHEIS Network Meeting Ispra 6-7 June 2006 Scott Brockett, DG ENV
Background • Series of meetings focusing on four main exposure routes, plus two other issues • Ambient air • Indoor air • Drinking water/bathing water • Food • Physical stressors (noise, EMF, UV, ionising radiation, others) • E&H tracking systems • Work with policy units and their technical support • Cross-cutting issues assessed once groundwork clear • Review document pulls conclusions together (scheduled for adoption as Staff Working Document, end June 2006)
Work on ambient air • Document ‘Issues for ambient air’ prepared and on website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/health/pdf/ambient_air.pdf • Analysis of key issues prepared with JRC, APHEIS, EEA and Unit ENV.C.3 • Recommendations for action on: • Exposure assessment • Source-related exposure • Health-related data • Epidemiology • Toxicology and Health Impact Assessment • Research infrastructures and research • Three highest priorities identified are included in Review: research infrastructure, epidemiology on long-term effects, and improving data on health status • Will certainly implement others also, if resources allow.
Improve infrastructure (superstations and superregions) Proposal • Set up 6-9 superregions covering European differences in climate, population, socio-economic situations. • Each superregion should enable detailed studies related (e.g.) to exposure, personal exposure, health status, short and long-term epidemiology • Should also include other stressors where possible (noise, indoor air) • APHEA and PAMCHAR are precedents Estimate costs • Costs for set-up and running of superstations for 7 years estimated at €100m Funding options • Tried to use FP7 Research Infrastructure budget line, but limited support • Some scope for funding under Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives (but only for providing access to existing infrastructures) • Keen to examine potential to build on existing networks. • Possible for second tranche of Research Infrastructures
Epidemiology: study on long-term effects of air pollution Workshop held in Bilthoven 20 January to identify needs: • http://ec.europa.eu/environment/health/pdf/bilthoven.pdf Proposal • Studies in a series of locations across Europe covering: • Several exposure parameters (e.g. mass or number concentration of PM) • Potentially vulnerable population groups (e.g. young children and the elderly) • Several health end points (e.g. respiratory and cardiovascular) • Aim: to identify long-term effect of European pollution mixtures on health, and their regional differences • Should also consider joint effects of noise and air pollution on cardiovascular system • Should consider whether other exposures (e.g drinking water) can be efficiently studied in the same populations Estimated costs • Budget of comparable initiatives €30-50 million Funding options • FP7 Environment theme • Key priority in draft Specific Programme • Supported at stakeholder meeting on 22 May • Final decision on inclusion, and funding, yet to be determined
Health status data Improve and harmonise health frequency data across Europe • Define relevant endpoints (mortality and morbidity) and classification into three classes (must be monitored, should be monitored, and explorative monitoring) • Define spatial and temporal needs for the data • Identify monitoring methods (e.g. surveys, hospital admissions) • Identify research needs and policy evaluation tools • Identify concrete measures to address the delay to access health status data A first review in the EURAQUEM project (including also APHEIS conclusions) Estimated costs • Study for developing options €200k, 1 year Funding options • Public Health Programme • LIFE+
Exposure assessment • Develop and implement integrated QA/QC procedures for submission of data to Airbase • Pursue implementation of Structural Indicators • Integrate information from ongoing studies on: • Assess representativeness of measurement sites • Improve criteria for site selection and description • Provide for links to other databases such as (sub) population density • Enable assessment of hot-spot contribution to exposure • Further develop models for required spatial and temporal resolution in 1-2 pilot studies – 2 regions where all different approaches are conducted in field conditions, results compared and sensitivities on input data assessed. Estimated costs • Pilot studies €2-400k (2 studies recommended) Funding options • LIFE+
Source-related exposure Enhance knowledge on source-related exposure so as to enable relevant sources to be identified: • Review current source-receptor relations for gaseous and particulate pollutants • Develop measurement and data interpretation strategies to allow for source-group and source region identification • Strategies should allow for differentiation of natural and anthropogenic sources • Assess use of dispersion models to assess source contributions, for different geographical scales • Develop source-related health-effect studies Estimated costs • For first three: one-year study of c €200k • For fourth: Study summarising available results €50k, actual model runs extra • Fifth should be linked to superregions Funding options • LIFE+
Toxicology and health impact assessment • Conduct mechanistic studies with various types of PM (source-related, size-fractionated, etc) in molecular, cellular and animal models • For Health Impact Assessment: • Identify any additional missing information (or poor-quality info resulting in high uncertainty) • Validate model assumptions Estimated costs • For toxicology – to be determined in context of FP7 • For health impact assessment: possible establishment and running costs of co-ordination team (€50-100k per year) plus specific studies (€200k per year) Funding options • FP7, LIFE+
Conclusions • If concerns on definition of main three priorities, need to know urgently (ISC about to begin) • Any comments on other tasks, or proposals for additional tasks, are welcome • Final funding availability still to be determined (in FP7 and operational budget under LIFE+) • Proposals from APHEIS for involvement in any of the tasks welcome