Key messages

• Human biomonitoring (HBM) data are being used to calculate the health impact of chemical exposure.
• Risk indicators as percentage of exceedance, extent of exceedance gives information if and how much human biomonitoring guidance values are breached or not.
• Indicators on burden of disease as attributable cases or disability adjusted life years (DALYs) provide information on the health impact.
• Indicators inform policymakers and can help to prioritise action with the primary goal to lower the impact of chemicals on our health.

Overview

Markers that reflect the health impact of chemical exposure are essential tools for national and European policy makers, helping to shape and support monitoring frameworks such as the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability ↗, the Zero Pollution Action Plan ↗, and the 8th Environment Action Programme ↗.

The choice of a health impact indicator depends on several factors, including the specific policy questions it aims to address, the availability and quality of data, the uncertainties associated with each indicator, and the resources and expertise required.

Indicators used to assess the harmful effects of chemicals include the number of attributable cases, the measurement of DALY or Quality-Adjusted Life Years, and the calculation of external costs. DALY represent the total years of healthy life lost due to illness, disability, or premature death. In situations where data are insufficient for a full health impact analysis, the exceedance of health-based guidance values already serves as a risk indicator. This approach estimates the portion of the population exposed to chemical levels above these guidance values, signalling a potential health risk.

This project is one of four interconnected initiatives focussed on assessing the health impacts of chemical exposure and works closely with related projects on data collection, methodological improvements, and case studies. Currently the focus in on the case studies from which indicators on health risk or impact can be developed to inform policymakers.

Achievements & Results

In this project,  an  inventory  of  existing  types  of  exposure, risk  and  health  impact indicators was compiled, including their application in regulatory and policy frameworks, based on expertise available among partners, literature search, communication materials of (inter)national organisations, and stakeholder input (JRC ↗ and EEA ↗ for indicators related to the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability ↗ and Farm to Fork Strategy ↗). Together with the case study prioritisation, this forms the basis for a proposal for indicator development. 

The first case study focused on the association between pyrethroid exposure and ADHD. The results are available here ↗.

Additional case studies scheduled for completion in 2025 include:

• Exposure to a mixture of lead and methylmercury and IQ loss.
• Exposure to lead and cardiovascular disease through hypertension.
• Exposure to arsenic and carcinogenic effects.
• Environmental burden of municipal solid waste incineration emissions on cancer-related mortality.
• Influence of waste co-incineration in a cement plant on cancer burden and risk assessment for selected chemicals based on HBM data.

Policy relevance

• Indicators on exposure to chemicals.
• Indicators on risk assessment (exposure vs hazard).
• Indicators on possible health impact (attributable number of cases, DALYs).
• These indicators inform policymakers and help with preparing, evaluating policy.