ANNUAL REPORT 2022 | 33 More specifically: y Since 2017, the SGL participates and coordinates at the national level the European Joint Research Programme on “Human Biomonitoring for Europe (HBM4EU)” (2017-2022), co-funded by “Horizon 2020” and the 28 participating countries. The main aim of the HBM4EU initiative is to coordinate and advance human biomonitoring in Europe and provide better evidence of the actual exposure of citizens to chemicals and the possible health effects to support policymaking. Furthermore, in 2022 the SGL: 1. As the “Chemical Group Leader” for mercury and its organic compounds (=2nd round priority substances) of the HBM4EU, contributed to the creation of a sustainable framework for European biomonitoring and to the investigation of the correlations between chemical exposure and human health effects. This work resulted in a series of deliverables, tools and scientific announcements, developed for the needs of specialised stakeholders (policy makers, scientists, citizens who voluntarily participate in human bio-monitoring research, the general public). 2. Under HBM4EU analysed, in cooperation with other certified European laboratories, 256 hair samples from 138 pregnant women for total mercury. 3. Coordinated Cyprus participation in the new European “Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC)” under the seven years’ European research project “Horizon Europe”, which started in 2022. 4. Continued the coordination at national level of the implementation of the “Ostrava Declaration (2017)” on the Environmental Impact on Health. – From 2004 to 2017, has been actively involved in five research programmes related to “Environment and Health” with funding from the 6th and 7th EU Framework Programmes for Research (ESBIO, COPHES), the EU’s Life+ programme (DEMOCOPHES), the SINPHONIE programme of DG SANTE, the Research Promotion Foundation programme (Homes and Tobacco Free Vehicles), and the Cyprus Ministry of Health (Biomonitoring Programme for Young Childrens’ Exposure to Cigarette Tobacco). – It coordinated at European level the “HBM4EU-mom” European study, which aimed to prevent prenatal exposure to mercury through simple dietary recommendations for healthy fish consumption during pregnancy. Specifically, 600 European pregnant women in Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Iceland were recruited in this research through their health care providers. The recruited participants provide hair samples to measure their exposure to mercury and personal information about their diet and lifestyle, which will be correlated with their analytical results. The research was completed in 2022 and it is expected to support policy decisions and to provide tools to health professionals and women, in order to receive the nutritional benefits of fish during pregnancy and lactation, while minimizing exposure to mercury.
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