Brecht Devleesschauwer,
BEST-COST Project Coordinator and Head of Health information at Sciensano
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BEST-COST wants to hear from researchers and policymakers to understand how they use research methodologies around pollution in their work. The short survey will help the BEST-COST consortium understand how its results and outcomes can serve to strengthen research and policy implementation around air and noise pollution. By taking the survey, you will help us tailor our work to support you in yours.
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Launch of METEOR website and social media
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The METEOR cluster, of which BEST-COST is a member, is a group of five Horizon Europe projects exploring the health impacts of environmental stressors. The newly launched website serves as a hub for resources and provides updates from the cluster and individual projects. You can also follow METEOR on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates. |
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BEST-COST at the 4th Working Group meeting of the European Burden of Disease Network
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Members of BEST-COST participated in the 4th Working Group meeting of the European Burden of Disease Network, which looks to strengthen burden of disease assessment in Europe. The working group explores methodological challenges and the development of standardised training material. The meeting provided opportunities to assess progress and discuss future activities, and its members discussed latest developments around burden of disease assessment. Participants discussed the methodologies that BEST-COST is developing to measure social inequalities.
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Air pollution a central topic at EUROTOX
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The 57th International Congress of Toxicology in Ljubljana, Slovenia gathered more than 1500 attendees across 65 countries. BEST-COST was present in the discussions exploring the threat of air pollution for public health, where adjunct professor Otto Hänninen from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) presented the project.
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WHO Europe Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
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On 5-7th July, the WHO Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health gathered Member State representatives from across the WHO European Region, public health institutions, and civil society in Budapest to address the ‘triple threat’ of climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. The discussions cumulated in the Budapest Declaration adopted by Member States to move forward to take action on threats to environmental health. BEST-COST was present at the EuroHealthNet exhibition booth to promote the project and its goals. |
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A necessary vote for our health: The European Parliament votes in favour to strengthen the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive
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The European Parliament plenary voted on the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive on 13 September 2023, agreeing to tighten measures around air pollution to be fully aligned with the WHO Air Quality Guidelines. This decision was welcomed by BEST-COST, despite a prolonged deadline to meet the targets by 2035 instead of 2030.
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Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is necessary to address the health impacts of pollution
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The United Nation’s 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit on 18-19 September marked the half-way point to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline. Recognising that we are currently not on track to meet the 2030 targets, we need urgent and committed action to reduce air pollution levels and reduce the impacts on our health.
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- Mortality attributable to ambient fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in Switzerland in 2019: Use of two-pollutant effect estimates, Environmental Research: This study, published by BEST-COST partner Swiss TPH, analyses the 2019 Switzerland adult mortality rate from both single-pollutant and two-pollutant estimates.
- The Green Ambulance: measuring the health costs of indoor air pollution, EuroHealthNet Magazine: In Brussels, Belgium, a group of specialists including BEST-COST coordinator Sciensano are investigating patients’ living and working environments to better identify and detect indoor pollutants that could be the source of ill health.
- Europe’s Pollution Divide, The Guardian: An interactive map collects data on pollution levels in every area of Europe and reveals the areas most impacted by exposure to air pollution.
- Clean Air NDC Scorecard, Global Climate Health Alliance: The Clean Air NDCs Scorecard ranks 170 Nationally Determined Contributions and finds that the world’s biggest carbon-emitting economies are failing to integrate air quality into national climate plans.
- 100 days to COP28: open letter urges to raise air pollution up agenda, Clean Air Fund: Over 70 NGOs, civil society organisations and health professionals urge the COP 28 president in an open letter to take steps to reduce air pollution and deliver win-wins for climate, public health and economies.
- International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, WHO Europe: A press release issued by WHO Europe stated the urgent need for stronger partnerships, increased investment, and shared responsibility for overcoming air pollution.
- Air pollution statistics, Eurostat: Findings from Eurostat highlights the emission levels of the following most important air pollutants in the European Union (EU).
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- 8-11 November, Dublin, Ireland: The European Public Health Conference will explore different public health topics and will be attended by BEST-COST partners.
- 23-24 November, Rotterdam, the Netherlands: The EU Clean Air Forum offers panel discussions, high-level interventions and expert exchanges on clean air issues and policies. EuroHealthNet will attend the fourth Clean Air Forum.
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