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Pack, Kim Laura

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  • Veröffentlichung
    HBM4EU from the coordinator's perspective: lessons learnt from managing a large-scale EU project
    (2023) Hülck, Kathrin; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Gehring, Thomas; Pack, Kim Laura
    We discuss some important management issues of the Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) from theperspective of the Coordinator that may be valuable for the design and management of similar projects. As alarge-scale international collaborative project, HBM4EU comprised 118 institutions from 30 countries and theEuropean Environment Agency and had a budget of about âą 74 million. It has set up an innovative cooperativenetwork of national and EU authorities and scientific institutions at the science-policy interface. A project of thisscale raises major management challenges and requires transparent, efficient, and well-organized administrativeand scientific steering structures. We present four major points: First, prior to the beginning of the project, theConsortium Agreement needs to be well elaborated to prevent conflicts during the project lifetime. Second, astrong role for national and EU policy-making authorities in the administrative governance structure enhancesthe interest of recipients of project results. Third, large-scale international collaborative projects need an elab-orate and well-financed scientific governance structure. Fourth, a differentiation of funding rates among projectactivities threatens to create conflicts. HBM4EU provides a prototype for EU funded large-scale projects targetingfuture policies for realizing the Green Deal and Zero Pollution Ambition in the field of chemicals, health, andenvironment. © 2022 The Authors
  • Veröffentlichung
    Time Patterns in Internal Human Exposure Data to Bisphenols, Phthalates, DINCH, Organophosphate Flame Retardants, Cadmium and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Europe
    (2023) Martin, Laura Rodriguez; Gilles, Liese; Helte, Emilie; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Lange, Rosa; Pack, Kim Laura; Schmidt, Phillipp; Vogel, Nina; Weber, Till
    Human biomonitoring (HBM) data in Europe are often fragmented and collected in different EU countries and sampling periods. Exposure levels for children and adult women in Europe were evaluated over time. For the period 2000-2010, literature and aggregated data were collected in a harmonized way across studies. Between 2011-2012, biobanked samples from the DEMOCOPHES project were used. For 2014-2021, HBM data were generated within the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. Time patterns on internal exposure were evaluated visually and statistically using the 50th and 90th percentiles (P50/P90) for phthalates/DINCH and organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) in children (5-12 years), and cadmium, bisphenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in women (24-52 years). Restricted phthalate metabolites show decreasing patterns for children. Phthalate substitute, DINCH, shows a non-significant increasing pattern. For OPFRs, no trends were statistically significant. For women, BPA shows a clear decreasing pattern, while substitutes BPF and BPS show an increasing pattern coinciding with the BPA restrictions introduced. No clear patterns are observed for PAHs or cadmium. Although the causal relations were not studied as such, exposure levels to chemicals restricted at EU level visually decreased, while the levels for some of their substitutes increased. The results support policy efficacy monitoring and the policy-supportive role played by HBM. © 2023 by the authors
  • Veröffentlichung
    A step towards harmonising human biomonitoring study setup on Europeanlevel: materials provided and lessons learnt in HBM4EU
    (2023) Gilles, Liese; Fiddicke, Ulrike; Cops, Jirka; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Pack, Kim Laura
    Internal exposure of the human body to potentially harmful chemical substances can be assessed by Human Biomonitoring (HBM). HBM can be used to generate conclusive data that may provide an overview of exposure levels in entire or specific population groups. This knowledge can promote the understanding of potential risks of the substances of interest or help monitoring the success of regulatory measures taken on the political level. Study planning and design are key elements of any epidemiologic study to generate reliable data. In the field of HBM, this has been done using differing approaches on various levels of population coverage so far. Comparison and combined usage of the resulting data would contribute to understanding exposure and its factors on a larger scale, however, the differences between studies make this a challenging and somewhat limited endeavour. This article presents templates for documents that are required to set up an HBM study, thus facilitating the generation of harmonised HBM data as a step towards standardisation of HBM in Europe. They are designed to be modular and adaptable to the specific needs of a single study while emphasising minimum requirements to ensure comparability. It further elaborates on the challenges encountered during the process of creating these documents during the runtime of the European Joint Programme HBM4EU in a multi-national expert team and draws up lessons learnt in the context of knowledge management. © 2023 The Authors
  • Veröffentlichung
    A phased approach for preparation and organization of human biomonitoring studies
    (2021) Fiddicke, Ulrike; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Tolonen, Hanna; Pack, Kim Laura
    Background Human biomonitoring (HBM) studies like other epidemiological studies are costly and time-consuming. They require the administration of questionnaires and collection of biological samples, putting substantial burden on the participants which may result in low participation rates. The growing importance of HBM studies in epidemiology, exposure assessment and risk assessment underline the importance of optimizing study planning, designing and implementation thus minimizing the above-mentioned difficulties. Methods Based on frameworks from survey design and fieldwork preparation of the European Joint Program HBM4EU, the German Environment Surveys and the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin projects combined with elements of project management strategies, a Phased Approach has been developed, introducing a step-by-step guideline for the development of epidemiological studies. Results The Phased Approach splits the process of developing a study into six phases: Phase 0 (Scoping and Planning): All aspects that are necessary to conduct a study are compiled and put on the agenda for decision-making. Phase 1 (Preparation and Testing): Instruments (e.g. questionnaires), materials (e.g. guidelines, information), and ethics and data management issues, needing thorough preparation and testing before a study can start. Phase 2 (Initiation): Organization and acquisition of necessary equipment and engaging and training personnel. Phase 3 (Implementation): All procedures that require temporal proximity to the start date of fieldwork, such as obtaining contact information of invitees. Phase 4 (Fieldwork and Analysis): Involvement of participants and chemical analysis of the collected samples. Phase 5 (Results and Evaluation): Final procedures leading to closure of the project, such as providing and communicating results. Conclusions The separation of the planning and conduct of human biomonitoring studies into different phases creates the basis for a structured procedure and facilitates a step-by-step approach reducing costs, warranting high participation rates and increasing quality of conduct. Emphasis is put on a comprehensive scoping phase ensuring high quality of the study design, which is indispensable for reliable results. © 2021 The Authors.