The Health and Environment Network and its achievements

Abstract

Why HENVINET Environmental health is a rapidly developing field of great societal importance. New insights show that environmental influences, already in the early beginning of human life, determine health conditions later in life. The Health and Environment Network (HENVINET; 2006-2010) aimed to establish an integrated network to connect experts, policymakers and stakeholders addressing the environmental, social, political, climate and xenobiotic influences on human health. The project started against the background of two foregoing EU initiatives that were addressing the problems of environment and health in children. The first was the European Strategy for Environment and Health, jointly prepared by four Directorate-Generals (DG Environment, DG RTD, DG Health and Consumers and the Joint Research Centre). The strategy was launched as the SCALE initiative (Science, Children, Awareness, Legislation and Evaluation) in 2003. Together with the following European Environment and Health Action Program 2004-2010, it aimed to bring the fields of environment and health closer to each other and develop recommendations for research and policy actions within four priority themes: childhood respiratory diseases, asthma and allergies, neurodevelopmental disorders, childhood cancer, and disruption of the endocrine system. The second initiative PINCHE (2003-2005) (Policy Interpretation Network on Children’s Health and Environment) reviewed these four themes in relation to the aspects of exposure and health effects on children, discussing several compounds including dioxins, PCB’s, heavy metals (mercury, lead and cadmium), and pesticides, with the aim to formulate priorities in the political field. In the HENVINET project, the four SCALE themes were taken up again, incorporating new insight on the importance of epigenetic changes, taking place already immediately after conception, caused by environmental factors and determining later functioning. This insight has changed our way of thinking, from the more thematic approach used in SCALE and PINCHE to the study of changes of DNA under the influence of endocrine and developmental disruptors. A separate new important issue, potential toxicity of nanomaterials and nanoparticles involving new and challenging pathways of toxicity, was included in the project at the mid-term.