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PubMed1984

Health and environmental implications of trace metals released from coal-fired power plants: an assessment study of the situation in the European Community.

In the European Community (EC) the anticipated increased use of coal for power production will lead to an increase in the release of trace metals into the environment. This release seems unlikely to cause toxicological effects through the food chain, but there may be a possibility of a direct impact on man through inhalation. There are, however, many areas of uncertainty which need to be clarified by further research before a definitive assessment can be made.

Coal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation between asthma and climate in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey.

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey, performed during 1991-1993, found a remarkable geographical variability in the prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in individuals aged 20-44 yr. The highest values occurred in the English-speaking centers. In the present investigation, the ecological relationship between climate and symptom prevalence was evaluated in the 48 centers of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. Meteorological variables were derived from the Global Historical Climatology Network and were averaged over an 11-yr period (i.e., 1980-1990). Respiratory symptom prevalence was directly related to temperature in the coldest month and was related inversely to the temperature in the hottest month. Warm winters and cool summers are features of oceanic climate found in most English-speaking centers of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (i.e., England, New Zealand, and Oregon). In conclusion, climate can account for significant geographic variability in respiratory symptom prevalence.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

The patentability of human genes: an ethical debate in the European Community.

The European Parliament rejected in 1995 the European Commission proposal to harmonize legal protection of biotechnological inventions. Although it did not seem initially the most contentious of the many issues involved in the current legal and ethical debate around biomedicine and genetics, patenting is now focusing bioethics in Europe.

Bioethics↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Alzheimer disease and associated disorders: project funding opportunities within the European community.

The European Union has funded numerous projects on Alzheimer disease and associated disorders (ADAD). In the funding years of 1995 and 1996, six million Euro were spent on ADAD projects. In 1996, 21% of applications were funded. Having had the opportunity to review all these projects, we offer insight into the funding procedure and some of our conclusions from reviewing all these projects.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed1993

Medical ethics in the European Community.

Increasing European co-operation must take place in many areas, including medical ethics. Against the background of common cultural norms and pluralistic variation within political traditions, religion and lifestyles, Europe will have to converge towards unity within the field of medical ethics. This article examines how such convergence might develop with respect to four major areas: European research ethics committees, democratic health systems, the human genome project and rules for stopping futile treatments.

Bioethical Issues↗

PubMed1993

School health education in the European Community.

The School Health Education Commission of the European Community is making efforts to improve school health education in the European Community countries. While past efforts have involved single issue causes, current activities emphasize a holistic perception of school health education. Radical education reforms throughout the European Community advocate improved health education. The movement toward quality health education in the European Community countries uses a model called the Health Promoting School, a cooperative effort involving schools, families, and communities. The model is being promoted through three stages: 1) national conferences held in each European Community country, 2) summer schools to provide teacher training, and 3) national projects, supported by the World Health Organization, agreement conducted to determine the efficacy of the Health Promoting School Model.

Europe↗

PubMed1994

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey.

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) was planned to answer specific questions about the distribution of asthma and health care given for asthma in the European Community. Specifically, the survey is designed to estimate variations in the prevalence of asthma, asthma-like symptoms and airway responsiveness; to estimate variations in exposures to known or suspected risk factors for asthma, and assess to what extent these variations explain the variations in the prevalence of disease; and to estimate differences in the use of medication for asthma. The protocol provides specific instructions on the sampling strategy adopted by the survey teams, as well as providing instructions on the use of questionnaires, the tests for allergy, lung function measurements, tests of airway responsiveness, and blood and urine collection. The principal data collection sheets and questionnaires are provided in the appendices, together with information on coding and quality control. The protocol is published as a reference for those who wish to know more of the methods used in the study, and also to give other groups who wish to collect comparable data access to the detailed methodology.

Asthma↗

PubMed1998

Ten years of research on asthma in Europe. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey.

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey was designed to provide basic information on the prevalence and distribution of asthma in Europe, to asses whether any variation noted could be explained by the distribution of atopy and other risk factors, and to determine the distribution of therapy for asthma. The project has developed a methodology for studying these factors in different settings and has provided a mechanism for quality control in the collection and analysis of the data. Initially funded to look within the European Community, it has been expanded to include selected areas outside Europe. The descriptive analyses are now almost complete, but there is still a great deal of further analysis to be undertaken on the relation between risk factors and atopy and asthma within the data set.

Asthma↗

PubMed2002

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey II.

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) II will determine the incidence of and risk factors for the development of allergic disease, atopy and rapid loss of lung function in middle-aged adults living in Europe. From 1991-1993, >18,000 individuals took part in ECRHS I and provided information on symptoms and exposure to known or suspected risk factors for asthma. Blood samples for assessment of specific immunoglobulin E to environmental allergen were taken and lung function and bronchial responsiveness to methacholine were assessed. From 1999-2001, study participants were re-contacted to determine symptom status and exposure to a variety of factors, including tobacco smoke, animals, occupational agents and air pollutants (including particulate matter). In a subsample of responders, exposure to house dust-mite allergen was assessed by analysis of dust samples taken from participants' mattresses. In addition, blood samples suitable for deoxyribonucleic acid extraction were collected and stored. Currently, European Community Respiratory Health Survey II is being conducted in 29 centres in 14 countries. At the time of writing this paper, 27 centres had begun the study and approximately 12,000 participants had completed a short postal questionnaire, approximately 9,000 had completed a more detailed health assessment and 3,500 participants had provided dust samples. Historical air-pollution data have been collated and the programme of monitoring particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 microm has been completed in 21 centres in 10 countries.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Rules governing pharmaceuticals in the European Community.

In the interest of public health, the European community has progressively established common scientific criteria for the evaluation of human and veterinary medicines and harmonized the national authorization procedures. One major consequence of this has been that neither the tests and trials carried out to obtain authorization nor batch controls need be repeated within the European community. Henceforth the pharmaceutical industry may benefit from two types of procedures intended to facilitate the registration of their medicinal products in the member states. One, reserved for biotechnology/high technology medicinal products, involves community coordination prior to any national decision together with special protection against copies for ten years, irrespective of the position under patent law. The other enables firms to request the recognition by the other member states of an authorization previously granted by one member state. The experience gained from these two procedures will lead to the choice of the most appropriate European registration procedure for the next decade. In the interests of the European consumer, cooperation between the 12 member states and the Commission of the European Communities has progressively increased within the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (adverse effects of medicines/pharmacovigilance) and the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products (residues). In association with these committees, several working groups of experts attempt to approximate and codify practices in the evaluation of the quality, safety, and efficacy of medicinal products (guidelines).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Commerce↗

PubMed1986

[Epidemiology and prevention of occupational health hazards within the European Community].

Since 1978 the European Community has had an action programme on safety and health at work covering all 120 million workers in the Community. On the basis of this programme, directives (instruments of Community legislations) have been adopted by the Council of Ministers and new directives are being drafted. The aim of these directives is to improve safety at work and to protect the health of workers from mechanical, physical, chemical and biological hazards. The drafting of proposals by the Commission for presentation to the Council necessitates detailed and critical examination of the scientific data available, such as epidemiological studies, statistical data and the results of experiments. Epidemiological studies of cases of mesothelioma have led us to propose more stringent limit values for crocidolite than for other asbestos fibres in the air at the place of work. At present, in order to gain a clearer idea of the carcinogenicity of the various compounds of nickel, efforts are being made to collate and update all the epidemiological studies conducted on this subject throughout the world. Finally, particular attention is being paid to the opportunities provided by the anti-poison centres for developing clinical toxicology and epidemiology.

Asbestosis↗

PubMed1980

Scientific aspects of the work of the Commission of the European Communities on Asbestos.

The Commission of the European Communities has been carrying out scientific investigations on asbestos for some years. The principal activity has been the regular meetings of two European Communities panels of scientific consultants concerned primarily with the pathology of the asbestos-related diseases, asbestosis and mesothelioma. In addition, the Commission has carried out a number of comparative studies on the measurement of asbestos in various media, using both gravimetric and microscopic techniques.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

PubMed2002

Good laboratory practice in the European Community. Role of the commission and the member states: external aspects.

The paper recalls the history of the development of the OECD principles of good laboratory practice (GLP) and explains why the European Community has a role to play in the area of GLP. It presents briefly the current legal framework in the European Community (Directives 87/18/EEC and 88/320/EEC) and describes the role of the Commission and the member states in the practical implementation of the GLP principles within the European Community. Impacts of GLP on the relations of the European Community with third countries, both within the framework of the OECD and through bilateral trade agreements (mutual recognition agreements, MRA) based on article 133 of the treaty establishing the European Community, are then examined in greater detail.

Agrochemicals↗

PubMed1992

Organization of perinatal care within the European community.

A survey on the infrastructure and organization of maternity and neonatal services in the European Community has been conducted within the framework of the European Community Concerted Action Project 'New Methods for Perinatal Surveillance'. Objectives were to provide a basis for comparative evaluation of perinatal studies, to achieve a better understanding of differences in national perinatal services and to identify problem areas in provision of perinatal care. Data concern general maternal statistics, structure of maternity services and organization of maternity and neonatal services. Similarities between the perinatal services of the countries surveyed outweigh local deficiencies in some aspects of care and organization. Information tabulated in this survey can serve as a stimulant to reach a better understanding of current health care for pregnant mothers and their newborns within the European Community.

Europe↗

PubMed1990

Medical training in the European Community.

The free movement of doctors within the European Community demands harmonization of standards of medical practice and carries major implications of an undergraduate and postgraduate educational kind. These have begun to be addressed by the first three Medical Directives and also by a series of reports produced by the Advisory Committee on Medical Training to the European Community. This Committee was established in 1975 in order to provide informed agreed advice to the Commission. Many tasks remain to be tackled. A system of mutual inspection of the examination processes and standards in Member States should be established. Control must be exercised over the numbers of doctors produced since educational resources, including numbers of patients available for study, are limited. Thus, excellent standards of medical practice can only be developed and maintained if the primacy of clinical skills derived from the study of patients is recognized as essential in this respect. In some Member States at the present time there are many unemployed and therefore presumably deskilled doctors.

Credentialing↗

PubMed1992

Health and safety implications of European community 1992 (EC92). Management committee. American Industrial Hygiene Association.

Progress toward the implementation of a single, common market in Europe is well underway. European-wide standards and regulations are being formulated to remove the physical, fiscal, and technical barriers to the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people among member states. In 1992, the target year for implementation, members of the European Community are attempting to harmonize their health and safety standards so that each nation is on equal footing. The European Community has given high priority to health and safety to the extent that 1992 has been declared the "year of health and safety in the workforce." The EC-rulemaking bodies have developed requirements for significant hazards, including risk communication and risk assessment. Efforts are underway to develop directives addressing exposure limits, product safety, and environmental protection. The result of this ambitious strategy will present substantial opportunities and challenges for the member countries, American companies with EC-based subsidiaries, and any company that sells products in the European market. The end result could have a much farther reaching effect. To emphasize this, I will quote James Tye, president of the British Safety Council, who said, "The European Community will eventually be 700 to 800 million strong as other nations join it. I have no doubt it will be the dominant market in the world, assuredly as far as the field of health and safety is concerned. I also have no doubt that the standards we will be developing in the European Community will be followed by Japan and the United States.

European Union↗

PubMed1991

The development of reference methods in clinical chemistry. The contribution of the Community Bureau of Reference of the Commission of the European Communities.

The use of reference method procedures in clinical chemical analysis is advocated by many experts as the most reliable approach to obtaining accurate results. The performance of such procedures must, however, be rigorous. This contribution will emphasize the importance of interlaboratory studies for this purpose. Examples will be presented, taken from the work done under the BCR programme of the Commission of the European Communities. The determination of steroid hormones in serum by isotope dilution mass spectrometry and the measurement of enzyme catalytic activities, according to IFCC recommended methods, will be discussed.

Chemistry, Clinical↗

PubMed1998

Illegal use of beta-adrenergic agonists: European Community.

The use of veterinary medicinal products within the European Community is governed by a series of directives and regulations that describe the requirements for safety, quality, and efficacy of these products. Veterinary therapeutic use of beta-agonists has only been approved in the case of clenbuterol for bronchodilatation in horses and calves and for tocolysis in cows. No beta-agonists have been permitted in the European Community for growth-promoting purposes in farm animals. Surveillance for the presence of residues of veterinary agents in food-producing animals and meat is regulated by the Directive 86/469/EEC containing specific guidelines for sampling procedures on farms and in slaughterhouses. The level and frequency of sampling is dependent on the category of compounds and animal species. When positive samples have been identified (above certain action levels), sampling intensity is increased. Results of monitoring programs in EU member states during 1992 and 1993 for the occurrence of residues of beta-agonists in food-producing animals vary substantially with respect to the percentages of positive samples, ranging from 0 to 7%. The variability is partly explained by differences in sampling strategies, detection methods, and action levels applied. Identification of the proper matrices for sampling and detection of beta-agonists is important. In the case of clenbuterol, hair and choroid retinal tissue are appropriate tissues because clenbuterol accumulates in these matrices. A clear decrease in the use of clenbuterol in cattle has been observed in The Netherlands, Germany, Northern Ireland, and Spanish Basque Country over the last 3 yr. This is partly due to intensified surveillance activities at farms and slaughterhouses by governmental agencies and production sector organizations. There are data on human intoxication following consumption of liver or meat from cattle treated with beta-agonists. At the concentrations of clenbuterol measured in contaminated liver and meat samples, pharmacological effects may be expected in humans after consuming 100 to 200 g of product. The use of highly active beta-agonists as growth promoters is not appropriate because of the potential hazard for human and animal health, as was recently concluded at the scientific Conference on Growth Promotion in Meat Production (Nov. 1995, Brussels).

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗