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Effects of Pollutant Exposure on Human Health as Studied with Selected EU Projects

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Book cover Environmental Determinants of Human Health

Part of the book series: Molecular and Integrative Toxicology ((MOLECUL))

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.

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Abbreviations

AMAP:

Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program

ArcRisk:

Arctic Health Risks: Impacts on health in the Arctic and Europe owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling—research project

CHICOS:

Developing a Child Cohort Research Strategy for Europe—research project

CLEAR:

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

COPHES:

Consortium to perform human biomonitoring on a European scale—research project

DALY:

Disability-adjusted life years

DDE:

Metabolite of DDT

DDT:

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

DEMOCOPHES:

Demonstration of a study to coordinate and perform human biomonitoring on a European scale—research project

EBoDE:

Environmental Burden of Disease in European countries—research project

EDC:

Endocrine disrupting compounds

ENRIECO:

Environmental Health Risks in European Birth Cohorts—research project

EU:

European Union

HBM:

Human Biomonitoring Value

INUENDO:

Biopersistent organochlorines in diet and human fertility: Epidemiological studies of time-of-pregnancy and semen quality in Inuit and European populations—research project

OBELIX:

OBesogenic Endocrine disrupting chemicals: LInking prenatal eXposure to the development of obesity later in life—research project

PCB153:

Polychlorobiphenyl 153

PHIME:

Public Health Impact of long-term, low-level Mixed element Exposure in susceptible population strata—research project

POPs:

Persistent Organic/toxic Pollutants

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Arctic Medicine, Thule Institute, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Arja Rautio

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  1. Arja Rautio
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Correspondence to Arja Rautio .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Kjeller, Norway

    Jozef M. Pacyna

  2. Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Kjeller, Norway

    Elisabeth G. Pacyna

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Rautio, A. (2016). Effects of Pollutant Exposure on Human Health as Studied with Selected EU Projects. In: Pacyna, J., Pacyna, E. (eds) Environmental Determinants of Human Health. Molecular and Integrative Toxicology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43142-0_4

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