BEST-COST is a 4-year EU-funded research project aiming to improve methodologies for understanding the socioeconomic cost of environmental stressors, with a focus on air and noise pollution.

Air pollution and environmental noise significantly impact respiratory and cardiovascular health. BEST-COST organised a webinar in collaboration with the European Burden of Disease Network on the latest advancements in exposure-response functions (ERFs), with focus on NO₂ and COPD, O₃ and asthma, PM2.5 and lung cancer, and traffic noise and cardiovascular disease. The webinar featured insights from systematic reviews and meta-analyses, offering valuable updates on environmental health research.

BEST-COST brought together stakeholders from policy and research with an interest in the environmental burden of disease to learn more about BEST-COST’s own research methodologies. Together, participants discussed how these research methods can be successfully applied in the different BEST-COST case studies (Belgium, Estonia, France, Norway, and Portugal), as well as at the EU level, so that the results can help influence effective policy action.

If you would like to know more about BEST-COST’s work on the environmental burden of disease, please get in touch with j.haagsma@erasmucmc.nl

At a scientific poster day held by BEST-COST partner Erasmus MC, the BEST-COST consortium presented research on a systematic literature review on exposure response functions for NO₂ and COPD. Exposure response functions are essential for quantifying the health impacts of pollution. In the presentation, Erasmus MC observed a positive association between long-term NO₂ exposure and COPD incidence and mortality. These results can help to guide policymakers on implementing effective action in health and environmental initiatives.

BEST-COST partner, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, delivered a lecture at ETH Zürich on how to quantify health impacts of air pollution. The lecture focused on two aspects to give students an in-depth look into performing and understanding such analysis. First, the students were brought up to date on terminology, expected outcomes and input data. This was followed by a dive into formulas, own assessment, and available tools including the BEST-COST R package “healthiar”.

In the second half of 2025, BEST-COST will host a workshop to test its R Package, healthiar. The R Package can be used to quantify and monetise the burden of disease attributable to environmental exposures (air pollution and noise), using different calculation pathways and input data (see visual healthiar overview).

The workshops will take place on Monday 29 September 2025 (5-7 PM CET) and Wednesday 1 October 2025 (10-12 AM CET). Note that the two workshops will be identical, and that two dates & times are offered to enable participation from various time zones.

If you are interested in taking part and would like to know more, register here.

Registration is open for EuroHealthNet's 2025 Annual Seminar on Climate and Health, taking place in Brussels and online on 11 June. It will focus on three key questions:

• What is the evidence on the impact of climate change on health and health equity?
• What tools and practices are out there for getting everyone on board for climate action?
• How can policy initiatives across sectors and governance levels create a healthier planet?

The seminar will feature distinguished speakers, including Sandra Gallina, Director General of DG SANTE, and Florika Fink-Hooijer, the new Director General of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). BEST-COST coordinator Brecht Devleesschauwer (Sciensano) will also speak at the seminar in a session exploring how to bridge the gap between science and policy.

 BEST-COST is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No.101095408.