Health and Environmental Risk Sciences

Solutions to planetary environmental health challenges

The impact of physical, biological and chemical factors in the environment on health is large. Nine million human deaths a year (16% of all deaths worldwide) are attributed to air, water, and soil pollution. These estimates are likely an underestimation of the real impact of the environment, as many of the emerging chemical and environmental concerns are not considered in these calculations. Even with this incomplete inventory, the economic costs of pollution are considerable, with healthcare and disability-related lost productivity estimated to amount to US $4.6 trillion per year, representing 6.2% of global economic output. Finding solutions for existing and emerging environmental challenges requires inter and transdisciplinary research.

Improving animal and human health

Our research programme is composed of experts in exposure science, toxicology, molecular biology, epidemiology, and veterinary and human medicine. Together we are generating critical insights in how the environment is affecting the health of humans and animals. We do so by combining observational studies on the relationship between exposure to biological, physical and chemical agents and health in the general environment, domestic and occupational settings with mechanistic insights obtained from experimental studies of availability, dose and mechanism of action of environmental contaminants in relation to their potential to induce adverse immune, neural and endocrine effects. The ultimate goal of the programme is to translate these insights into the development of effective prevention strategies to improve the health of animal and human populations.