The exposure of citizens to chemicals and related health impacts are the focus of public and political concern. Reliable data are the prerequisite on which policies, regulations and information for the general public must be based to safeguard a healthy life in a healthy Europe. Human Biomonitoring (HBM) is a key tool to investigate the exposure of people living in Europe, and to inform regulators and citizens about the extent of the pollution of the human body, the sources and meaningful protective measures. Therefore HBM4EU, a European Joint Programme funded under Horizon 2020, was established with 74 M euros allocated to advance human biomonitoring, produce comparable data and bridge science and policy.

The results of HBM4EU clearly show that the levels of some substances in the human body of the European population are still so high that adverse health effects cannot be excluded according to current knowledge and that there is an urgent need to address mixtures effects in the risk assessment.

HBM4EU has fed results and data into chemical-specific regulatory processes led by the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury at the United Nations Environment Programme. HBM4EU is also supporting regulatory measures addressing priority substances, such as the ongoing proposal to restrict a wide range of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under REACH and the recent EFSA draft opinion on Bisphenol A.

Looking forward, HBM4EU results will be used as a baseline against which the success of the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and Zero Pollution Action Plan will be measured. We have also contributed to shaping the next research agenda for chemicals at the European level – the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC).

As the current project concludes, we would like to bring your attention to the materials produced to advance human biomonitoring, raise awareness about chemical exposure and incite additional policy measures to protect European citizens and the environment.

Citizens:

• Infographics
• Factsheets
• Videos

Policymakers:

• Policy briefs
• Substance reports

Scientists:

• Training sessions
• Research briefs
• EU biomonitoring dashboard
• Quality-assured laboratory network

A warm thank you to all the coordinators, partners, coordinators and study participants!

The exhibition then, aptly named We live in a chemical world, covered the main conclusions of the project, such as that Europeans are exposed to high levels of hazardous chemical substances.

Through a network of laboratories, the project collected comparable and comprehensive data on the exposure of the EU population to priority chemicals. Urine and/or blood samples from more than 13,000 European citizens from 28 countries were tested. Based on the interpretation of the data, HBM4EU devised recommendations for policymakers, contributing to measuring progress under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the Zero Pollution Agenda, amongst other policy actions, effectively bridging science and policy.

 “We need a sustainable Human Biomonitoring system for Europe to understand to what extent we are exposed to hazardous chemicals, which chemicals impact health, and how we can protect ourselves”

On the occasion of the conference, participants received a physical copy of an HBM4EU newspaper containing an overview of the project, numerous articles dedicated to the priority substances as well as expert quotes and comments. We are pleased to announce that a digital version is now available. Click here to access it.

Photos & videos from the event are coming soon. In the meantime, read ChemTrust’s summary of the event and key takeaways or watch the videos as featured on the exhibition screens below!

1. Priority substances
2. Exposure levels and exceedance values
3. Health outcomes
4. Policy messages
5. Time trends – Phthalates
6. Peer-reviewed publications
7. Societal concern
8. Interviews

Summarizing the adverse human health effects and main exposure pathways for humans, these policy briefs aim to support the development of EU policies regarding chemicals through human biomonitoring.

The key findings for Bisphenols include the risk of internal exposure for adults examined under HBM4EU who have been found to be continuously exposed to BPA. For PFAS, the project has uncovered that the current exposure of parts of the EU population exceeds EFSA guidance values for PFAS exposure. Both discoveries call for wider restrictions and better coordination on the European level.

Access the full policy briefs through the hyperlinks above or at: https://www.hbm4eu.eu/result/policy-briefs-and-reports/

Human biomonitoring (HBM) can play a key role in assessing the real-life exposure to carcinogenic chemicals and ultimately in the calculation of increased cancer risk. This application is at the heart of the HBM4EU prioritization strategy and supports EU policies aimed at cancer prevention, such as the Beating Cancer Plan.

“Cancer impacts the lives of millions of Europeans, with well over 3 million new patients diagnosed each year, almost 2 million deaths, and severe consequences for the economy and health systems of EU countries (3,4). About 23 % of cancer cases globally happen in Europe, although it is home to only 9 % of the world’s population (5). In Europe, cancer is the most frequent form of non-communicable disease and the second most common cause of death”

Download the full brief here.

To keep the scientific community and other stakeholders interested in our results up to date, you can now subscribe to our monthly newsletter ‘HBM4EU Science Digest’, aiming to bring together the latest science peered reviewed work published, with direct links to the publications.

Read the past newsletters here:

• Science Digest October
• Science Digest September
• Science Digest August
• Science Digest July
• Science Digest June

Do not hesitate to share the HBM4EU Science Digest with your peers and to subscribe to the Science Digest Newsletter mailing list. It can also be found in our website at the Results section.

Helping to digest the highly scientific content for non-technical audiences, such as citizens and also policy-makers, is one of our communication objectives. As part of our efforts to disseminate the scientific work and thus to enhance knowledge translation, new infographics are now available on the citizen’s corner section.

The objective of the infographics is to inform the public about the different substance groups, describe potential risks and highlighting the work of HBM4EU in understanding human exposure using human biomonitoring. At the same time, the infographics include information on the possible sources of exposure for different substance groups, describe how they can enter in our body, describe potential risk and health outcomes and provide recommendations to reduce the exposure to them.

The new infographics are on bisphenol, chromium VI, phthalates, PFAS, acrylamide, mycotoxins and flame retardants.

Example: flame retardants

How can flame retardants enter your body?

Flame retardants are released into the environment during product manufacturing, use, disposal, recycling, and in the event of a fire, when materials and products burn. They can then contaminate the air, water and soil, as well as food grown in contaminated soils. People may be exposed to flame retardants in the following ways.

• Consuming contaminated food, in particular oily fish, meat, milk and dairy products. Some flame retardants are highly persistent and build up in living organisms, thereby contaminating the food chain.
• Breastfed infants are exposed to flame retardants that have accumulated in the bodies of their mothers over time and that are then released in the mother’s breastmilk.
• Accidentally swallowing dust contaminated with flame retardants that have leached from products and furnishing in the household. Young children are more likely to swallow dust when crawling and playing on the floor.

Breathing in flame retardants released from consumer products directly into the air. Flame retardants spread through our indoor spaces as fine particles suspended in air

How might flame retardants affect health?

Growing evidence suggests that some flame retardants can affect the nervous system both pre-birth and during childhood. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been linked to neurotoxicity through disruption of the hormone system, while polybrominated biphenyls have been linked to cancer, immunosuppression and endocrine and reproductive disorders. Both substances are now banned in the European Union.

Many different flame retardants have been used over time, implying that in their daily lives people are exposed to multiple flame retardants at once, along with a variety of other chemical substances. The effects of mixtures of flame retardants on health are not well understood.

How can you reduce your exposure to flame retardants?

If you are concerned, you can take the following steps to reduce your exposure:

• Wash your hands and those of your children frequently and in particular before eating. Hand-to-mouth contact is one of the principle ways that people swallow flame retardants.
• Keep dust levels down by:
  • Mopping the floor
  • vacuuming with a high efficiency particulate air filter to remove contaminated dust from your home
  • keeping your home well ventilated
• Try to purchase and use products that do not contain hazardous flame retardants:
  • when purchasing new upholstered furniture, look for furniture labelled as “Flame Retardant Flame free” or “free of Halogenated Flame Retardants”
  • clothes labelled “keep away from fire” do not contain flame retardants
• Purchase products made from and filled with natural materials like cotton and wood, instead of polyurethane foam.