WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ
WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION Date: 28 October 2023
ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE
BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L’EUROPE
REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA
Ms. Kristina Aidla
ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО Republic of Estonia Health Board
Head office:
Paldiski mnt 81
UN City, Marmorvej 51 10614 Tallinn
DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Estonia
Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00; Fax: +45 45 33 70 01
Email:
[email protected]
Website: http://www.euro.who.int
Our reference: EU/CDE Your reference:
Notre référence: BON/LWE Votre référence:
Unser Zeichen:
IZ/cp
Ihr Zeichen: Email:
[email protected]
См. наш номер: На Ваш номер:
Dear Ms. Aidla,
First meeting of the European Environment and Health Process
Human Biomonitoring Partnership
Tbilisi, Georgia, 28 November 2023
We are pleased to inform about the plan to hold the above-mentioned meeting. It is convened in the
frame of the newly established EHP Partnership on Human Biomonitoring (EHP Partnership on
HBM), led by Germany and co-led by Georgia.
The aim of the meeting is to initiate the activity of the Partnership, discuss organization of its work,
plan activities for the coming years, and identify priority scientific and technical topics. An outline of
the scope and purpose is attached.
I have pleasure in inviting you to attend this meeting as a representative of a member of the EHP
Partnership on HBM.
The working language will be English with simultaneous interpretation into Russian.
The event will be followed by two-days long training on the basics of HBM (29-30 November 2023),
organized under the umbrella of the Partnership. Participation in that training is optional. Please
indicate your interest in the registration form and you will receive further information in due time.
We regret to inform you that, owing to the limited availability of funds, participation costs cannot be
covered by the organizer.
Please, complete the registration form by November 10 following the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/TaueAqDx5r
WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Bonn
Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1 Telephone: +49 228 815 0400 Email:
[email protected]
D-53113 Bonn Fax: +49 228 815 0440 Web: http://www.euro.who.int/ecehbonn
Germany
You are also invited to take part in the on-line survey to assess capabilities and needs in the EHP
Partnership on HBM. The survey is available at the following link:
https://forms.gle/acyZLeN2mYg9nxbbA. Please, submit your response by 10 November 2023.
We look forward to meeting you in Tbilisi.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Dorota Jarosinska
Programme Manager
Living and Working Environments
Enclosures:
Scope and purpose
Provisional agenda
Provisional programme of the training
Copy for information to:
Ms Aive Telling, Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia, Head of Chemical Safety, Public Health Department, Suur-Ameerika 1Tallinn,
15027,
[email protected],
[email protected]
–2–
Provisional programme
Training on basics of human biomonitoring
Tbilisi, Georgia, 29-30 Nov 2023
The WHO educational course “Human biomonitoring. Basics” serve as the main source of information
for the training.
Day 1
9:00 -9:30 Registration
9:30 – 9.50 Opening and welcome
Tour de table
9:50-10:20 Lecture 1: Introduction in HBM: exposure to chemicals, policy support
The lecture summaries information on chemicals in the environment and
consumer products, trends of chemical production and use, health and economic
impacts of inappropriate chemicals management, specific characteristics of
exposure to chemical nowadays, explain environmental health paradigm, provides
overview of policies related to HBM at global and regional level, introduces HBM
as an instrument for assessment of human exposure
Q&A
10:20 – 11:00 Lecture 2: Principles and objectives of HBM
Information on ethical and scientific principles of HBM surveys is summarized on
the lecture; HBM objectives such as evaluation of exposure and identification of
highly exposed groups, monitoring of geographical and time trends, identification
of exposure factors, risk assessment and support of policy decisions, deriving
reference values, contribution to management of emergences, diagnosis and
treatment are demonstrated in a number of examples from different countries
and projects at national and international level; benefits and challenges of HBM
incl. for support of decision on risk reduction are evaluated in the lecture
Q&A
11:00-11:20 Coffee break
11:20 – 11:50 Practical exercise: trainees are requested to decide on what HBM
objectives they would prioritize at the national level and explain what
information they used for making conclusions and what are factors they
considered for taking the decision
Q&A
11:50 – 12:30 Lecture 3: HBM experience at national, regional and global level
Several examples of HBM programs on global (the Stockholm and the
Minamata Conventions), multicountry (COPHES, HBM4EU, AMAP) and
national (Belgium, Canada, Germany, Czechia, Japan, Republic of Korea,
Slovenia and the Unites States) levels are introduced in the lecture. The
survey design, main results and outcomes are in the main focus.
Q&A
12:30 – 13:00 Lecture 4: Biomarkers
The lecture includes basic information on toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic
(moving infographic), types of biomarkers (exposure, effect and sensitivity)
in link to the environmental health paradigm and relevant examples,
introduces exposome approach from general concept to HBM place in
exposome
Q&A
13:00 -14:00 Break
14:00 – 15:30 Lecture 5: Planning and conducting HBM survey/study
All steps of designing and planning of HBM surveys: selection of study type,
prioritization of chemicals, identification of target population and special
ethics requirements to some groups involvement, selection of biomarkers,
sampling size, community involvement and communication strategy, and
field work.
Q&A
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 17:00 Practical exercise: planning and conducting HBM survey (define objective(s),
selection of type of survey, selection of target population and biomarkers,
calculation of sampling size; the scenario will be provided
17:00 – 17:30 Wrap up and closure of the day
Day 2
9:30 – 10:30 Report on the practical exercise results, Q&A
10:30 – 11:15 Lecture 6: Laboratory analysis
The lecture focus on quality assurance and quality control general
principles, validation of analytical procedures, interlaboratory comparison,
basic principles of laboratory analysis, transportation and storage of
biological material, biobanking and its value for evaluating trends of
exposure to certain chemicals and relevant ethical considerations.
Q&A
11:15 – 11:45 Coffee break
11:45 – 12:30 Lecture 7: Interpretation and communication of HBM results; use of HBM
results for chemical risk assessment
The lecture includes information on data management and analysis,
interpretation of HBM results, HBM guidance values, in particular reference
values, health-based guidance values, biological equivalent, risk
assessment using HBM results, risk communication strategies and
communities involvement
Q&A
12:30 – 13:00 Practical exercise: communication of HBM results to different audiences
The scenario description and tasks will be provided
13:00 – 13:45 Break
13:45- 14:30 Practical exercise: communication of HBM results to different audiences
(continue)
Report on the practical exercise results
Q&A
14:30 – 15:30 Lecture 8: Mercury HBM (optional)
WHO approach and specific aspects of mercury HBM will be provided
during the lecture; the lecture will include practical exercise on
development of epidemiological questionnaire for collecting additional
information
Q&A
15:30 – 16:30 Wrap up and closure of the training
Coffee to go
Saatja: PALII, Cristina <
[email protected]>
Saadetud: 28.10.2023 09:12
Adressaat: Kristina Aidla <
[email protected]>
Koopia: <
[email protected]>; <"SM Info">
Teema: First meeting of the Environment and Health Process Partnership on
Human Biomonitoring, Tbilisi, Georgia, 28 November 2023
Dear Ms. Aidla,
We are pleased to invite you to attend the above-mentioned meeting as a
representative of a member of the EHP Partnership on Human Biomonitoring.
The meeting is convened in the frame of the newly established EHP
Partnership on HBM, led by Germany and co-led by Georgia.
The aim of the meeting is to initiate the activity of the Partnership,
discuss organization of its work, plan activities for the coming years,
and identify priority scientific and technical topics.
The following documents are enclosed for your attention:
* Invitation letter
* Scope and purpose
* Provisional agenda
* Provisional programme of the training
Please complete the online registration form by 10 November 2023. The
registration form is available at
You are also invited to take part in the on-line survey to assess
capabilities and needs in the EHP Partnership on HBM. The survey is
available at the following link: . We would be grateful to receive your
answers by 10 November 2023
For any technical questions, please contact Dr Irina Zastenskaya (); for
administrative issues, please contact Ms Cristina Palii ().
We look forward to meeting you in Tbilisi.
Kind regards,
WHO Secretariat
WHO Regional Office for Europe | European Centre for Environment and
Health | Bonn, GermanyTel.: +49 228 815 0413 | Web:
Provisional agenda
1. Opening and welcome
Approval of agenda and programme Appointment of chairs and the rapporteur
2. Tour de table
3. Overview of the EHP HBM Partnership and the developments after the
Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health (5-7 July 2023,
Budapest, Hungary)
4 Organization of work of the EHP HBM Partnership
5. Promoting human biomonitoring through the EHP Partnership – developing
programme of work and identifying priority topics – and then these bullet
points
• Results of the survey on needs and capabilities
• Sharing concepts, tools and information
• Promoting regulation and ensuring policy impact
• Communication in HBM
6. Conclusions and closure of the meeting.
Scope and purpose
First meeting of the European Environment and Health Process
Human Biomonitoring Partnership (EHP Partnership on HBM)
28 November 2023, Tbilisi, Georgia
Training on HBM
29-30 November 2023
Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a reliable instrument to assess exposure to chemicals and to
support decision making processes. It can answer several questions, critical for making decisions
on risk reduction measures. Promotion of HBM is a priority in chemical safety in WHO, as
reflected in strategic global and regional documents.
To promote the use of HBM in the WHO European Region, a new cooperation mechanism among
Member States has been established, under the European Environment and Health Process (EHP).
The EHP Partnership on HBM was launched at the Seventh Ministerial Conference on
Environment and Health, held in Budapest, Hungary, from 5 to 7 July 2023. The EHP Partnership
on HBM serves as a platform to facilitate exchange of the knowledge, experiences and available
tools as well as a capacity building hub to increase HBM expertise in participating countries and
accelerate uptake of HBM across the WHO European Region. The EHP Partnership on HBM is
led by Germany and co-lead by Georgia. So far, sixteen countries joined the Partnership.
The first meeting of the EHP Partnership on HBM will bring together members of the Partnership
as well countries that are considering joining the Partnership. The main objectives of the meeting
are:
• to discuss and agree on the organization and modes of working within the Partnership;
• to develop its workplan for the next 3 years;
• to outline priority scientific/technical topics for activities within the Partnership, aiming at
a wider promotion of HBM programmes in countries of the WHO European Region.
The meeting is expected to result in the decisions on how to organize the work of the Partnership
to ensure its effective operations, and to initiate the discussion on scientific and technical topics of
particular interest. It is also expected to encourage other countries to become members.
The meeting will be followed by a 2-days long training on basics of HBM, addressed mainly to
the experts from Georgia, and open to interested participants of the meeting of the Partnership.
The curriculum will be based on the WHO educational course on HBM and will cover several
topics: an overview of exposure to chemicals in 21st century, principles and objectives of HBM,
biomarkers and planning of HBM surveys, laboratory analysis and data management, overview of
current HBM experiences. This first training organized under the umbrella of the EHP Partnership
on HBM is expected to strengthen capacities of the Georgian experts and experts from other
countries.