Kolossa-Gehring, MarikeFiddicke, UlrikeSchwedler, GerdaSeiwert, MargareteJoas, AnkeAngerer, JürgenKoch, HolgerBiot, PierreAerts, DominiqueCasteleyn, LudwineCastaño, ArgeliaSchoeters, GreetSepai, OvnairKnudsen, Lisbeth E.Horvath, MilenaBloemen, LouisJoas, Reinhard2024-06-162024-06-162014https://openumwelt.de/handle/123456789/8571Introduction: A major objective of the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010 was<BR>the EU wide comparison of the population's exposure to chemicals by human biomonitoring (HBM). This<BR>required study harmonization. COPHES (COnsortium to Perform Human biomonitoring on a European Scale)systematically developed a harmonized approach to conduct HBM on a European scale, an essentialprerequisite to get comparable data. Results: For all main aspects of study design and conduct alternativeswere compared and discussed in a transparent decision making process that can also be applied to otherstudies. To reach acceptance of all involved partners, country specific aspects were always considered. Duringworkshops and by discussing written materials all partners brought up their comments and became familiar withall instruments for fieldwork and methods for quality assurance (e.g., fieldwork manual, questionnaires, andcheck lists). However, study preconditions such as ethics requirements or acceptance of questionnairecomponents differred between countries, giving a taste of the limits of harmonization. Finally,17 of the 27COPHES countries conducted the DEMOCOPHES survey (DEMOnstration of a study to COordinate andPerform Human biomonitoring on a European Scale) using the harmonized approach. Conclusions: Theharmonized fieldwork instruments (basic questionnaire, urine and hair sampling) turned out to be of high valuefor future HBM studies. Harmonization requires detailed preparation but not necessarily in the same depth ineach part of the project. The challenge is to determine which procedures indispensably need perfectharmonization and for which general guidelines are acceptable. Acknowledgements: We are grateful to theEuropean Commission that funded COPHES (7th Framework Program No. 244237) and co-fundedDEMOCOPHES (LIFE09 ENV/BE/000410) in addition to the Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB). We alsothank all project partners (www.eu-hbm.info).<BR>Quelle: 24th Annual Meeting ofThe International Society of Exposure Science: Exposure Science Integration to Protect Ecological Systems,Human Well-Being, and Occupational Health; Abstract Book ISES 2014 / International Society of Exposure Science, Cincinnati: 2014, S.23518 VortragsfolienIll., graph. Darst., Kt.enghttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Conference proceedings