Launch of European Human Exposome Network
The Human Exposome is the study of how elements we are exposed to via our diet, lifestyle and the environment we live and work in, affect our health over our lifetime. The EU Green Deal calls for a strategy to protect our health and well-being from pollution and environmental deterioration. The strategy will address air and water quality, dangerous chemicals, industrial emissions, pesticides and endocrine disruptors. In this context, a better understanding of the Human Exposome will enable better disease prevention and health promotion.
On 11th February, the European Commission held an event to launch the European Human Exposome Network. The Network combines nine research projects, including LongITools, funded under Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Each project started on 1 January 2020 and have been awarded €106m total funding from the EU over 5 years. The projects will form a cluster to coordinate efforts to decipher the life-long impact of external and internal exposures on human health. The outcome will be a better knowledge of health risks related to multiple environmental factors. This will enable solid, cost-effective preventive actions and policies in the future to protect our health from adverse environmental exposures.
Project Coordinator, Sylvain Sebert presented the LongITools project at the launch event, alongside the eight other exposome projects. The common theme was that everyone was enthusiastic to be part of this new collaborative network involving 24 countries and 126 research groups.