Virtual Workshop on Air Pollution and Health in Southeast Europe

June 8, 2021 to June 9, 2021
CEST

As fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in Southeast Europe have remained higher than in those of Western Europe for decades, public and governmental interest in the topic increases, and the demand for data and evidence on air pollution levels and trends as well as health effects is growing. In an effort to focus the discussions related to air quality and health, the Health Effects Institute (HEI), the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), the European Respiratory Society (ERS), the Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and environmental health institutions in Serbia jointly hosted a virtual workshop on June 8-9, 2021 (1-4 PM CET) to review the status of current evidence on the health effects of air pollution in the Southeast European region and its interlinkage to current policy debate and actions. The workshop is part of the larger HEI project in Southeast Europe funded by the Clean Air Fund.

Read the workshop summary and key messages here.

Session recordings are now available here.

Sessions

Day 1: Health effects of ambient air pollution: context, evidence and research strategies

Jun. 8, 2021 - 1:00pm CEST

Keynote Talks

Jun. 8, 2021 - 1:15pm CEST

Chairs: Dan Greenbaum, HEI and Barbara Hoffmann, University of Düsseldorf

1:15 PM Health basis for air quality policies in Europe

1:23 PM European air quality policy framework

1:31 PM What have we learned in the last decade about health effects of air pollution?

Q&A

Jun. 8, 2021 - 1:45pm

Session 1: Air Quality and Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Southeast Europe

Jun. 8, 2021 - 1:55pm CEST

Chair: Hristina Vojvodic, Renewable and Environmental Regulatory Institute, Serbia

1:55 PM Current regional air quality situation

2:10 PM Regional/national perspectives

Q&A

Jun. 8, 2021 - 2:40pm CEST

Break

Jun. 8, 2021 - 2:55pm CEST

Session 2: Progress in methods to study health effects of air pollution

Jun. 8, 2021 - 3:00pm CEST

Chair: Tamara Schikowski, IUF-Leibniz Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf

3:00 PM Primer 1: How do we measure air quality and exposure to air pollution?

3:20 PM Primer 2: Epidemiological designs to study the effects of short- and long-term exposure to air pollution

Q&A

Jun. 8, 2021 - 3:45pm CEST

Meeting Day 1 Closing Remarks

Jun. 8, 2021 - 3:55pm CEST

Meeting Day 1 Adjourns

Jun. 8, 2021 - 4:00pm CEST

Day 2: Using data on health impacts to inform policymaking

Jun. 9, 2021 - 1:00pm CEST

Opening remarks

Jun. 9, 2021 - 1:05pm CEST

Chairs: Bob O’Keefe, HEI and Zorana Andersen, University of Copenhagen 

Current status of air pollution and health policies/action in Southeastern Europe/Western Balkans

Q&A

Jun. 9, 2021 - 1:25pm CEST

Session 3: Relevance of various air pollution sources in driving health impacts

Jun. 9, 2021 - 1:30pm CEST

Chairs: Mira Jovanovski Dasic, Director of the SEEHN Secretariat, and Angel Dzhambov, Medical University of Plovdiv

1:30 PM How do different sources contribute to population exposure to key air pollutants in the region?

2:00 PM Evaluating the benefits of air pollution interventions

Q&A

Jun. 9, 2021 - 2:10pm CEST

Break

Jun. 9, 2021 - 2:25pm CEST

Session 4: Using data on health impacts for policymaking

Jun. 9, 2021 - 2:30pm CEST

Chair: Michal Krzyzanowski, World Health Organization [retired]

2:30 PM Primer 3: Approaches for estimating health impacts (GBD vs. EU-EEA vs. WHO)

2:50 PM Q&A

3:00 PM Panel Discussion: Application of health impact information in policymaking

  • Markus Amann
    ,

    International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

  • Ivaylo Hlebarov
    ,

    Za Zemiata

  • Aleksandar Macura
    ,

    RES Foundation, Serbia

  • Vlatka Matkovic
    ,

    Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)

  • Elizabet Paunovic
    ,

    World Health Organization [retired]

Q&A

Jun. 9, 2021 - 3:40pm CEST

Meeting Day 2 Closing Remarks

Jun. 9, 2021 - 3:50pm CEST

Meeting Adjourns

Jun. 9, 2021 - 4:00pm CEST
Location
Online Webinar
Boston, MA 02110
United States

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