EXPOSURE OF THE BELGIAN CONSUMER TO CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS AND

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES

Greet SchoetersBrussels, 24 November 2017

30/11/2017

©VITO – Not for distribution 1

CHEMICALS IN FOOD

30/11/2017

©VITO – Not for distribution 2

Synthetic chemicals can enter into food • Intentionally: additives• Unintentionally : contaminants

https://dwh.efsa.europa.eu/bi/asp/Main.aspx?rwtrep=400.

MULTIPLE SOURCES/ MULTIPLE PATHWAYS

3

Parabenes D. Bledzka et al. Env. Int, 67, 2014

CHEMICALS AND HUMAN BIOMONITORING

30/11/2017

©VITO – Not for distribution 4

Human biomonitoring measures chemicals, their metabolitesor reaction products in human tissues

BIOMONITORING MAKES POLLUTION PERSONAL

Dose=f (C environment , behaviour, kinetics, personal characteristics)

THE FLEMISH HUMAN BIOMONITORING PROGRAM (FLEHS)

VITO

PIH

VUB

UG

KUL

UH

UA

coordinatie

communicatie

epidemiologie

veldwerk

toxicologie

voeding

Financed by the Flemish Dept. of Science and Innovation, Nature and Energy and the Agency for Care and Health (FLEHS I, II, III), and by the Department of Environment (FLEHS IV)

2002- 2006 2007- 2011

2012- 2015 2016- 2020

Cancer riskAsthma and allergy

Puberty developmentAsthma & allergy

Growth & DevelopmentAsthma & allergy

Exposure and effect bio markers ( blood, urine, hair)Health outcomes: weight, height, birth parameters, clinical examinations at school, questionnaires ( asthma, allergy (ISAAC), strenghts and difficulties, (SDQ), Child behaviour check list , NES testsExposure related research: air pollutant modelling, dietary POPs intakeBiomarker development: transcriptomics, epigenetics ( cord and saliva)

FLEHS Reference values

Socioeconomic

status

FLEMISH ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH SURVEY

15 years of follow up of general population 3 hot spotsMore than 5500 participantssamples stored in biobank

More than 50 biomarkers of exposure and effectsPOPs, heavy metals, organophosphates, pyrethroids, phthalates, musks,perfluorinated compouds, glyphosate,…Structured policy translation process

TIME TRENDS IN ADOLESCENTS (GEOMETRIC MEANS AND 95%CI)

8

Pb

POPs METALS

benzene

PAHs

TIME TRENDS IN NEWBORN CORD SAMPLES (GEOMETRIC MEANS + 95% CI)

9adjusted for age and BMI mother

20082008

2008PFOA in µg/L

Arsenic in µg/L adjusted for age and smoking mother

PFOS in µg/L2013

20132013

www.milieu-en-gezondheid.be

TOBACCO SMOKE AND PAH LEVELS IN ADOLESCENTS FLEHS III

FLEHS II ADOLESCENTS : DDE EXPOSURE DETERMINANTS IN ADOLESCENTS FLEHS III

DETERMINANTS OF PERSONAL EXPOSURE PRODUCTS IN ADOLESCENTS (FLEHS II)

Musks, triclosan, parabens: significantly related to use of personal care products (questionnaires)

Musks, triclosan: girls > boys(≈ questionnaires)

Musks: ASO > TSO > BSO (≠ questionnaires)

Parabens: students > adults

LINKING HBM TO SOURCES: LIFE STYLE FACTORS

Life style as a vector for pollution: E.g. nutrition, consumer products, indoor air,… FLEHS II, 2009

DETERMINANTS OF EXPOSURE (FLEHS III)

0

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POP

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p=0,01

p=0,01 p=0,02 p=0,22

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15

METALS IN FOOD – BIOMONITORING RESULTS

Exposures Cadmium Lead

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Food: specific sources: fish ↑e,f

↑e,f

↑f

↑d,e

↑f ↑e,f

↑ ↑

Food: specific sources: vegetables, fruit, rice, grain ↑ ↑ ↑a ↑b

Food: leafy vegetables ↑

Food: specific sources: local vegetables ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑

Food: Specific sources: crustaceans ↑f

Food: Specific sources: chocolat ↑

Food: Canned food ↑ ↑

*: measurement in blood**: measurement in urine$ : measured in haira: legumes; b: nuts and seeds; c: MMA; d:DMA; e:Toxicologically relevant arsenic (TRA); f: total arsenic

FLEHS 1

FLEHS 2

FLEHS 3

Genk Zuid Menen1

↑Significant associations(p<0.05)

16

ORGANOCHLORINES IN FOOD Exposure Sum PCBs P,p’-DDE HCB Oxyc

hlordane

Trans- nonachlore

Lindane

PFAS

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Food: specific sources: fish ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Food: specific sources : animal fat ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Food: specific sources: vegetables, fruit, rice, grain

↑

Food: specific sources: eggs ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑i Food: specific sources : milk and milk products

↑

Food: specific sources: offal ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑hi

Food: self caught fish ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Food: specific sources: local food ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Food: specific sources: local vegetables ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑

g ↑g

Food: specific sources: local eggs ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑g

↑g

↑g

↑g

Food: specific sources: well water ↑ Food: specific sources: potatoes ↑j Food: Mediterranean diet ↑ Food: Specific sources: crustaceans ↑i

FLEHS 1

FLEHS 2

FLEHS 3

Menen1

Genk Zuid

17

FLEHS IV

Flemish center of expertise on E&H: FLEHS IV

Green spaces

Eco-behavior

Emergingchemicals

Human biomonitoring:internal exposure to environmental

substances&

Effects on health

built environmentproximity to greenproximity to blue

organic foodhome grown food (city gardening)

ventilationaerationeco-friendly materials

…

Changing environment

LINKAGE TO HEALTH

Residence in hot spot area has an effect on health ?

Health impact?

Genk vs.Vlaanderen

Proportion of participants :• Above health based guidance value? • Above clinical reference?

HEAVY METALS AND HEALTH IMPACT:

COMPARISON WITH GUIDELINESBlood lead: All participants < WHO guideline (100 µg/L)

Urinary cadmium: HBM I = 0.5 µg/L no expected health damage Above HBM I: 19.6% in Genk-Zuid

vs. 11.4% in Flanders (p=0.054)Toxic arsenic in urine: Biomonitoring Equivalent = 6.4 µg/l Above BE: 64.5% in Genk-Zuid

vs. 33.8% in Flanders (p=0.01)

HBM: LINKING ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO HEALTH EFFECTS

20

air

soil

consumerproducts

biomarkers of exposure

biomarkers of effects

health effects

soil

water

dust

air

serum PCBs

urinary triclosan

serum PBDEs

p,p’-DDE in milk fat

…

hormone levels

birth weight

DNA damage

gene expression

…

food

environmental monitoring

growth

puberty

IQ

behaviour

asthma

cancer

…

META-ANALYSIS EHP SINGLE POLLUTANT MODELS

Association PCB 153 (ng/L) with birth weight

21

Govarts et al. 2012, EHP

HBM4EU: BUILDING ON EXISTING KNOWLEDGE

22

Timeframe and budget:5 years (2017-2021)European Joint Programme under Horizon 2020Total budget: € 74 million

28 countries and the European Environment Agency:24 EU Member States3 associated countries (Iceland, Israel, Norway)Switzerland

Coordinated by the German Environment Agency (UBA)

06th Sept 2017

23

Answer open policy relevantquestions as defined by EU

Services and partner countries

Give policy makers a fast andeasy access to results and

data

Guide policy makersfor translating results

into policy actions

Harmonised collection and assessment of data

24

WP2: Knowledge Hub

WP1: Programme management and coordinationScientific and Administrative Management

WP3: Internal Calls WP17: Ethics Requirements

25

ANSWER POLICY RELEVANT QUESTIONS: INVOLVEMENT OF POL MAKERS

ENVchemicals legislation

(e.g. REACH), air/water pollution,

noise RTD R&I

framework programme

EMPLworker safety, exposure to chemicals

SANTE food

contaminant, pesticides,

biocides, EDs

GROW product safety,

cosmetics, REACH

EU level

JRC scientific and technical support

EEAenvironment data, information, assessment

ECHA REACH regulation

EFSArisk assessment for food and feed

30.06.2017

Stakeholders:Citizens

National NGOS, Industry

representatives

Ministries/Policy Leads in Environment and Human

Health

Research institutes:National Expertise

HBM4EU Partner

National hubs

PRIORITY SUBSTANCES TO START WITH IN THE 1ST YEAR

26

date 27

STUDY DESIGN Collecting European data from past and ongoing studies

Design new targeted studies to fill in the data gaps

European representative data

Specific age groups Sex From different EU regions: North, South, East, Ouest From high and low population density areas Represent different socio-economic classes

Data analysis at EU level

HBM4EU- AN INNOVATIVE APPROACHFrom the start:

- inclusion of policy makers on national and EU level- focus on communication and sustainabilty

Building a European network and strengthening co-ordination in partnercountries

Use of existing data and generation of new data to answer question relevant for environment and health

Fast and transparent access- to deliverables, SOPs, results… via Knowledge Hub

-to data via IPCheM

https://www.hbm4eu.eu/

https://ipchem.jrc.ec.europa.eu/RDSIdiscovery/ipchem/index.html28

Voettekst invulling29

JURGEN BUKERS, ANN COLLESFLEHS COLLEAGUES

European joint program funded underH2020https://www.hbm4eu.eu/Coordinated by UBACo-coordinated by VITO

Thank you

The FLEHS studies are commissioned, financed, and steered by the Ministries of Environment, Health , Science and Innovation of the Flemish Community. Coordinated by VITO,

www.milieu-en-gezondheid.be