Global scientists and political leaders join hands in fostering sustainable and efficient environmental policy to protect human health and advance knowledge

Carol Rougvie, JSI-Secretariat ISEA, Daniel Wartenberg, PhD, ISEE President, Dr Jeni Staykova

On September 2–6, 2006, the Head of the Regional Health Inspectorate for Public Health Protection and Control in Kurdjali, Dr. Jeni Staykova, took part in the International Conference on Environmental Epidemiology & Exposure in Paris. Dr. Staykova is member of the organization and the forum in Paris was yet another event, where she represented Bulgaria with a scientific report.

Dr. Staykova, the prestige of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology is constantly growing. What were the highlights of the forum this year?
Organizers of the conference this year were the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) and the International Society of Exposure Analysis (ISEA). The forum was held under the auspices of the President of the Republic of France Jacques Chirac, with the joint collaboration of five ministries – of Foreign Affairs, of Labour and Employment, of Health, of Agriculture and Fisheries, of Ecology and Sustainable Development.

Attending the conference were 1,399 scientists, researchers, students and medical practitioners from five continents, representing 62 countries. During the opening ceremony, scientists, representatives of ministries and political leaders united their speeches over one goal: human health and a healthy environment. They called on for a better interaction between science and policy. All speakers strongly encouraged knowledge sharing between exposure analysts and epidemiologists. In such a challenging time, facing daily air pollution or climate change, people rely on the scientists to come together and push political leaders to prevent disasters.

What was the experience shared by the conference hosts?
A special position had the French Minister Delegate of Labour Gerard Larcher, who assured the audience that the results of the analysis of epidemiologists and exposure analysts are essential. It is crucial that we increase scientific data on epidemiology and environmental exposure. He reminded that it was during the asbestos crisis and the mad cow disease that France had realized it had no sufficient epidemiological information. Since then scientists have started developing mechanisms for health monitoring and independent quality expertise. In 1998 the Institute for Epidemiological Health Monitoring was opened as well as several health agencies for Food and Environmental Risk Assessment. The system is constantly being improved and in September 2005 a monitoring on the impact of heat waves on human health was conducted.

In his expose to the forum, Minister Gerard Larcher stressed that knowledge stands in the roots of action because we need expertise to make public policy more relevant and efficient, and enable the authorities to provide timely and adequate solutions for reducing the risks through epidemiological, toxicological, and genetic data analysis. In this sense, a collective decision-making and promotion of expertise exchange on European and international level is needed.

It was also pointed out that Europe should assume a leading role and stand ahead of the global ban asbestos campaign.

No less importance was attached to the need of developing preventive health risk plans. During the last three years, the French Government approved a Cancer Plan, a National Health and Environment Plan, and a National Occupational Health Plan. They unite the efforts of experts and policy makers to join hands in identifying the new and complex risks of the future.

At the forum, special gratitude was extended to the two scientific organizations, which had co-chaired the conference – the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) and the International Society of Exposure Analysis (ISEA) – both of them are vital in conducting rapid research in the field of healthy environment worldwide.

The challenges, which the scientists conducting basic research across the world are facing today, are many...
They are many, indeed. Firstly, we have recorded a sharp increase in the occurrence of a number of diseases such as cancer, reproductive health problems (sterility, embryonic malformations), neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer, Parkinson), immune system diseases, allergies, asthma and other respiratory diseases, and stress among others.

The second important fact, which was pointed out as a challenge, is the lack of sufficient knowledge – from the over 100,000 chemical processes, employed in industrial production, the health impact of only just several hundred has been studied. The authorities would not accept this lack of evidence until the highest judicial institution recalled the asbestos case in March 2004.

There are many extensive and comprehensive resources on the exposure and pollution in the households, the working places and the environment, cumulative pervasive risks, many accumulating pollutions, impact during low dose and long-term exposure... that is why the advancement of knowledge on the impact of hazardous carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances has an absolute priority.

The new risks – together with climate change, although the scientists disagree on the issue, will increase the hazards, related to environment and biology. In our globalizing world, the rapid development of technologies raises new issues every day – the genetically modified organisms, new chemicals, nanotechnologies, mobile phones... New viruses, such as the avian flu, can spread around the world with incredible speed.

To cope with this ongoing development and avoid health disasters, these new threats should be identified and prevented.

How do you assess Bulgaria’s place in the global process of assessing the environment and the environmental health hazards? Do we have a policy on these issues?
Bulgaria’s yet another participation in such an international forum comes to show that the country is adequately responding to the global challenges, related to environment and health. Bulgaria’s legislation in the sphere has been harmonized with the European Law; furthermore we are actively working on the implementation of the National Environment and Health Action Plan.

I participated in the forum with a paper on Monitoring and Assessment of Ambient Air Quality in the Region of Kurdjali city.

A scientific report to the conference was also presented by Assoc. Prof. Tania Turnovska from the Medical University, Plovdiv, who members the organization as well. The participation of Iana Kiurkchieva, Parliamentary Secretary at the Bulgarian Health Ministry, was also of importance for the presentation of the country. The exchange of views and her presentation before Daniel Wartenberg, PhD, ISEE President and the French organizers of the event was a clear sign that Bulgaria has its worthy place in the international forum and conducts an adequate policy for increasing knowledge on environmental epidemiology and health through the adoption and the enforcement of a number of legislative measures.