EURAQHEM Perspective and suggestions for optimization Leendert van Bree Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP)

EURAQHEM April Leendert van Bree - MNP 2 Environment and Health – the issues 1. Multi-factor environmental risks 2. Exposure / health risk reduction policy 3. Health status/environmental impact monitoring and assessment are crucial tools 4. European-wide approach (regional, urban) 5. Environment and health information, impact, and management observatory (proposal for FP7 research infrastructure)

EURAQHEM April Leendert van Bree - MNP 3 Health Impact Assessment (HIA) - the tool to quantify risks and rewards -

EURAQHEM April Leendert van Bree - MNP 4 Recent “HIA” examples at MNP  New health risk assessment concept “Dealing sensibly with risks” (2003)  Health impact of environmental exposures (PhD thesis De Hollander, 2004)  Environmental Balance and Outlook reports  Outstanding Environmental Issues – review of EU’s environmental agenda (MNP - EEA report 2004)  Outstanding Environmental Issues and Human Development (MNP report for UNEP and EU on Millennium Development Goals)( 2005)  Health benefits/costs of water supply and sanitation (2004)  Vulnerability concept and its application to food security (2004)  EEA EU Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change, including AirBase

EURAQHEM April Leendert van Bree - MNP 5 Recent HIA air pollution examples (not excluding other very relevant studies in this area)  WHO - HIA in 8 main Italian cities (2002)  WHO - Guidelines for HIA of transport policies (2002)  APHEIS – HIA in 26 European cities ( )  VITO – Air pollution HIA (2003)  HEARTS - Health effects and risk of transport systems ( )  IIASA, IOM, AEA, and UNECE TFIAM – EU CAFE programme (2004, 2005)  EU AIRNET - HIA update and review report (2004)  UK NSCA - Total exposure reduction concept (2004)  US/Canada NERAM – HIA and priority ranking for air emission reductions from oil refineries in Canada (2004) It’s time now to join forces for a pan-European approach, …but...

EURAQHEM April Leendert van Bree - MNP 6 It’s time now to join forces for a pan-European approach, …but... …lack of data considerably contributes to uncertainty in assessments and policy support, so… we need 1.AQ monitoring data more representative for exposure and health 2.Population exposure information (measurement, modelling) 3.Baseline health status information across regions and countries 4.Better region/urban specific RR’s from air pollution/health studies – including relevant health endpoints, risk groups, and short-term AND long-term effect data 5.Better pan-European HIA, EA and CBA, including morbidity aspects 6.Targeted policy scenario analyses focussed on critical and effect-causal air pollution components

EURAQHEM April Leendert van Bree - MNP 7 MNP involvement air quality, health impact assessment, and policy evaluation  MNP chairs UNECE Task Force on Integrated Assessment Modelling  MNP core-member of WHO/UNECE Task Force on Health  Developing RAINS NL including HIA  EEA / EU EPA network support  MNP initiative for HIA of (local) air quality in 2006  EEA EU Topic Centre ACC – extension/completion of AirBase and initiatives to start a pan-European HIA  Development of air pollution morbidity impact tool (MNP-IvM-IOM)  feasibility study in the Netherlands in 2005  development of concept to be applied in pan-EU monitoring and assessment  input for RAINS, WHO, and CAFE  international workshop – end of 2005

EURAQHEM April Leendert van Bree - MNP 8 Support for EURAQHEM optimization approaches for reasons of… Stimulus to scientific community for targeted and integrated research Support to EEA, EU DG Environment, and the scientific community for (integrative) approaches –to improve data on health status, exposure, and health impact, –to support and improve policy and control strategies for air pollution