On December 8, 2016 the launch event of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) will take place in Brussels, Belgium. HBM4EU is a European Commission (EC) initiative with the aim to “provide better evidence of the actual exposure of citizens to chemicals and the possible health effects to support policy making.” The HBM4EU consortium includes expert institutions from 26 countries (22 EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, Israel, and Switzerland) as well as the European Environment Agency (EEA). The initiative is coordinated by the German Environment Agency (UBA) and co-funded by the EU research and innovation program Horizon 2020. HBM4EU is foreseen to run from 2017 to 2021. During the first year, existing human biomonitoring data for nine prioritized substance groups shall be collected, collated, and made available via the EC’s Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring. The list of prioritized substance groups – some of which relevant for food contact materials – includes: 1) phthalates and Hexamoll® DINCH (CAS 166412-78-8, 474919-59-0), 2) bisphenols, 3) per-/polyfluorinated compounds, 4) flame retardants, 5) cadmium and chromium, 6) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 7) aniline family, 8) chemical mixtures, and 9) emerging substances.
The launch event will publicly present HBM4EU for the first time, addressing the initiative’s “key features, envisaged activities, the expected impact and information on how stakeholders can stay informed about the initiative, and the subject in general.” A detailed program is available on the event website and registration is open until November 24, 2016.
Read more
EC (October 19, 2016). “Launch event of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative.”
EEA (August 26, 2016). “The role of human biomonitoring in assessing and managing chemical risks.”
Health and Environment Alliance (December 8, 2016). “Launch of EU human biomonitoring initiative.“
