Document np05NZdx2DNEwMmmvZa4xbB4z

HORIZON2020 Programme Contract No. 733032 HBM4EU HBM4EU PFAS hotspot Workshop 2 May 2022 Human biomonitoring as a tool to address public health concerns in PFAS hotspots: investigation, communication and risk management Background and purpose of the workshop Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a widely-used class of persistent chemicals, has been linked to an array of adverse health outcomes. While most individuals in Europe are exposed to backgroundlevels of PFAS, some populations living near contaminated sites (`PFAS hotspots') are exposed at moderate, high or extremely high levels. Several PFAS hotspots have been identified in various regions in the EU, and new PFAS hotspots continue to be discovered. There is a large public health concern within several of these PFAS hotspots. In order to address the health concern of citizens living in the neighbourhood of PFAS hotspots, human biomonitoring programs in hotspot regions have been conducted, or are ongoing or planned. Within the HBM4EU project, the need for a network of experts addressing PFAS exposure in hotspots in EU has been recognised and set up. Various experiences and views on human biomonitoring in PFAS hotspots have been shared within the network. As an outcome of these interactions, a guidance document on human biomonitoring, health assessment, intervention and risk communication in PFAS hotspots has been drafted. The guidance aims to be useful for policy makers and scientists confronted with new PFAS hotpots. In the first part of the workshop, an overview of practices, views and lessons learnt from human biomonitoring studies in PFAS hotspots across Europe will be given. In the second part of the workshop, we aim to discuss the draft guidance document. The following aspects of the guidance will be presented and discussed with the workshop participants: 1) identification and monitoring of PFAS hotspots, 2) biomonitoring and risk assessment 3) risk communication in PFAS hotspots, and 4) policy recommendations. Who should attend The workshop is open for European, regional and local risk managers of contaminated sites, environmental health care workers, scientists, and regulatory authorities involved in chemical risk assessment. Expected outcome of the workshop We will use the opinions, suggestions and views received from participants during workshop to finalize the guidance document for PFAS hotspots. The resulting guidance document and policy recommendations will be circulated among the workshop participants and will be available at the HBM4EU website. [1] Time and venue/registration The workshop will be held online 2 May 2022 (10 am - 1 pm CET) using MS Teams. The hyperlink to the digital meeting will be circulated among registered participants after closure of the registration. If you are interested to participate to the workshop, please fill in the registration form: https://forms.gle/a589pAsXrD4BwNF9A The registration is open until 25 April 2022. Draft programme 10.00 - 10.05 Checking connection 10.05 - 10.15 Welcome 10.15 - 10.45 Session 1: human biomonitoring in PFAS hotspots in the EU: experiences from case studies 10.45 - 11.20 Session 2: identification and monitoring PFAS hotspots 11.20 - 11.30 Coffee Break 11.30 - 12.05 Session 3: biomonitoring: biomarkers for exposure and effects; the use of health records 12.05 - 12.45 Session 4: interventions, risk communication and policy implications 12.45 - 13.00 Wrap-up and closure Each sessions will include a presentation given by the project team, followed by an interaction with the workshop participants.