CONTENTS
Supplement 1
Volume 8
2009
Editors-in-Chief Philippe Grandjean
David Ozonoff
Environmental Health (http://www.ehjournal.net/) is an open access journal published by BioMed Central Ltd. The journal publishes original peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of environmental and occupational medicine, and related studies in toxicology and epidemiology. Environmental Health (ISSN 1476-069X) is indexed/tracked/covered by PubMed upon PubMed Central, MEDLINE, Thomson Reuters (ISI), CAS, CABI, Embase, PAIS International and Current Contents.
Contact BioMed Central supplements@ biomedcentral.com
Proceedings of the Joint Environment and Human Health Programme:
Annual Science Day Conference and Workshop
Birmingham, UK
24-25 February 2009
Edited by Michael N Moore and Pamela D Kempton
http://www.ehjournal.net/supplements/8/S1
S1 A synopsis of the Joint Environment and Human Health Programme in the UK
Michael N Moore and Pamela Kempton
S2 Assessing exposure, uptake and toxicity of silver and cerium dioxide nanoparticles from contaminated environments
Birgit K Gaise, et al.
S3 Characterisation of carbon nanotubes in the context of toxicity studies
Deborah Berhanu, et al.
S4 X-ray photoelectron and infrared
spectroscopies of quartz samples of contrasting toxicity
Stephen M Francis, et al.
S5 Identification and verification of ultrafine particle affinity zones in urban neighbourhoods: sample design and data pre-processing
Paul Harris, et al.
S6 Health benefits of ‘grow your own’ food in urban areas: implications for contaminated land risk assessment and risk management?
Jonathan R Leake, et al.
S7 Tap water use amongst pregnant women in a multi-ethnic cohort
Rachel B Smith, et al.
S8 Current and future climate- and air pollution-mediated impacts on human health
Ruth M Doherty, et al.
S9 Endotoxin emissions from commercial composting activities
Lewis Deacon, et al.
S10 Proof of concept pilot study: prevalence of grass virus infection and the potential for effects on the allergenic potency of pollen
Denise W Pallett, et al.
S11 Strategies for monitoring and managing mass populations of toxic cyanobacteria in recreational waters: a multi-interdisciplinary approach
Andrew N Tyler, et al.
S12 Shellfish toxicity in UK waters: a threat to human health?
Keith Davidson and Eileen Bresnan
S13 A framework to explore micronutrient deficiency in maternal and child health in Malawi, Southern Africa
Natalie Dickinson, et al.
S14 Space-time clustering analyses of type 1 diabetes in children from north-east England: support for an infectious aetiology?
Richard JQ McNally, et al.
S15 Outdoor environments and human pathogens in air
Ka man Lai, et al.
S16 Seasonal hazards and health risks in lower-income countries: field testing a multi-disciplinary approach
Roger Few, et al.
S17 Bacteria isolated from parasitic nematodes - a potential novel vector of pathogens?
Lizeth Lacharme-Lora, et al.
S18 Evidence-based selection of environmental factors and datasets for measuring multiple environmental deprivation in epidemiological research
Elizabeth A Richardson, et al.
S19 Case studies in Bayesian microbial risk assessments
Marc C Kennedy, et al.
Building capacity
A key aim of the Environment & Human Health Programme is to enhance scientist’s capacity to answer complex research questions that span a range of disciplines. This programme will bring together scientists from many disciplines including environmental science, medical, biomedical, socio-economic and public health research. There will also be close interaction with government departments and agencies. Working together to share knowledge, ideas and resources is vital for a holistic view of how the natural environment influences human health.
Partners
Core funding:
The Natural Environment Research Council, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency and the Ministry of Defence.
Additional funding and support:
The Economic and Social Research Council, the Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Engineering, Physical Sciences Research Council and the Health Protection Agency.
Contacts
Programme Co-ordinator
Mike Moore
Tel: +44 (0) 1752 633100 E-mail: [email protected]
Programme Manager
Pamela Kempton Tel: +44 (0) 1793 411588
Email: [email protected]
Other contacts
General enquiries
Email: [email protected]
More information
www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/humanhealth
Mauro
Fermariello/Science
Photo
This £4.8 million programme runs from 2006 to 2009 and explores how both man-made and natural changes to the environment can influence human health. Scientists will tackle the complicated mix of environmental, social and economic factors that influence health, particularly focusing on naturally occurring toxins, man-made pollutants, nanoparticles and pathogens to see:
● how they spread within the environment
● how their properties change as they interact with other
substances or organisms
● how we become exposed to them
● the impact on human health
Examples of specific projects
● Certain algae produce dangerous toxins which can lead to
serious food poisoning in humans. We become exposed to these toxins by eating contaminated shellfish that have fed on the algae. Experts will share information to improve our understanding of algal blooms in UK marine waters; how shellfish pass toxins to humans and how to reduce the impact on human health.
● Around two-thirds of the world’s population are affected by
deficiencies in iron, vitamin A and iodine, according to a report in the Journal of Nutrition. Scientists will study how soil quality, food production, behavioural and cultural attitudes relate to the health of women and children in Malawi.
Longer-term benefits
This research will be used by policy makers in both the UK and across the globe. It will improve our ability to identify and predict potential risks to health and could also be used to produce early warning systems for potential hazards.
Our health is closely linked to the natural environment. Ecosystems are the planet’s life-support system but they are becoming degraded by climate change, pollution, agricultural practices and urban development. As a result, our water, air and food supplies are under pressure. This can have an adverse impact on our health and contribute to the cycle of poverty and disease. The relationships between human health, ecosystems and socio-economic factors are complex, often subtle, and may go undetected until serious ecological and health consequences emerge that are difficult to reverse or even halt.
What do we need to know?
We need to know more about the way pathogens and pollutants spread through the environment and how people become exposed to them, particularly as our climate changes. For example, we could see changes in the distribution of diseases such as malaria. New diseases could emerge as a result of changes in agricultural practices and the way we use the land. The overall impact on our health will depend on the nature of exposure and on factors specific to individuals such as their socio-economic status, their level of nutrition, age, genes, gender and behaviour. We need to understand how all these things influence one another.
Environment & Human
Health Programme
Human health and the natural world
Worldwide, and probably also in Europe,
one quarter to one third of the burden of
disease appears to be attributable to
environmental factors.
European Environment Agency
