Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a powerful tool for quantifying internal chemical levels via biological samples such as blood and urine. Between 2000 and 2017, global synthetic chemical production doubled from approximately 1.15 billion tonnes to 2.3 billion tonnes, with this trend continuing to increase. There has been an extensive expansion of national HBM programmes to evaluate actual chemical exposures and safeguard their citizens.
A key factor in the development of HBM is to include policymakers and to utilise HBM data for policy impact. This study, part of the HBM4IRE (Human Biomonitoring for Ireland) feasibility study, employed a World Café approach for engaging 25 stakeholders from government agencies, industry, and academia to co-create a national HBM roadmap. Using a critical realist approach and thematic analysis of qualitative data, four key themes emerged from the discussion: (1) targeted HBM for exposure hotspots, (2) mapping HBM to EU and National policy frameworks, (3) monitoring chemical exposures as an early warning system, and (4) aligning HBM with national legislative needs.
Results highlight HBM’s critical role in identifying at-risk groups (such as workers in high-exposure industries, children exposed to recycled materials like playground tyres) and validating policy effectiveness (e.g., lead restriction impacts). It also highlighted challenges such as data gaps, high costs, and limited baseline information. Study participants expressed a need for a governance framework, including a national HBM Steering Committee and inter-institutional collaboration, to bridge science-to-policy gaps, offering a scalable model for other nations to enhance chemical risk management, ensure regulatory compliance, and strengthen public health protection.
Overall, stakeholders expressed a high interest and strong willingness in establishing a national HBM programme in Ireland, viewing this as an opportune time for Ireland to implement such a system. The approach adopted for this study could be utilised to engage different stakeholders across an array of relevant topics. Given its valuable outcomes, the HBM4IRE World Café approach has demonstrated that it can serve as a model for other countries to build consensus, identify gaps, and foster stakeholder ownership in establishing long-term and sustainable national HBM programmes. © 2026 The Authors.
Children and adolescents are highly exposed to harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that exist as mixtures of hundreds of compounds in air, soil, water, dust and food. This study investigated 21 personal, lifestyle and environmental predictors of urinary PAH metabolites from four PAHs (naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene), using a dataset of 516 3–17-year-olds from 167 locations in Germany. Spearman correlation analysis showed weak to moderate associations (ρ = 0.2–0.6) between PAH metabolite concentrations. Regression analysis revealed high nicotine exposure, young age, and residence in large cities to be the most important predictors of multiple PAH burden, with estimated changes in metabolite concentrations of 124–1080%, 47–155%, and 22–57% respectively. Other notable predictors included: BMI, socioeconomic status, sex, consumption of chocolate, smoked and barbecued foods, chewing on plastic objects, road traffic, and heating type. Analysis of the ratios of 1-hydroxynaphthalene to 2-hydroxynaphthalene for subgroups with high cotinine level (3-fold increase) or moderate to high chocolate consumption (1.7–3.4-fold increase) was suggestive of exposure to carbaryl, a pesticide not permitted for use in the EU since 2007. Differences in the burden of PAH metabolites between East and West Germany was investigated using subgroup analysis. Consuming smoked food was both more prevalent (p = 0.009) and likely to contribute to a greater 1-hydroxynaphthalene burden in the East German subsample. Gaining a better understanding of exposure factors, especially using population data from a large number of locations, will guide policy makers and regulators in strengthening protective measures. © 2026 The Authors.
Mental, behavioural, and neurodevelopmental disorders arise from complex genetic, social, psychological, lifestyle, and environmental interactions. This umbrella+ review evaluates evidence on mental health impacts of ambient air pollution, environmental chemicals, and transportation noise, prioritizing systematic reviews and recent high-quality European studies. Long-term air pollution is associated with higher incidence of depression, while short-term peaks exacerbate depressive and psychotic symptoms and increase suicide risk. Chemicals such as second-hand smoke, lead, bisphenol A, and pesticides show consistent links to depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety, particularly with prenatal or childhood exposure. Emerging evidence indicates transportation noise increases risks of depression, anxiety, and childhood ADHD, mainly through stress and sleep disruption. These environmental exposures likely make meaningful population-level contributions to Europe’s mental health burden, especially during sensitive early developmental periods. Prevention should reduce environmental pollution while leveraging the restorative potential of natural environments, with future research addressing long-term, cumulative effects and socioeconomic vulnerability. © European Topic Centre on Human health and the environment
Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) have become a common metric for assessing the combined effects of morbidity and mortality. However, the lack of resources and/or input data, combined with the complexity of the methodological framework, resulted in major disparities in research capacity and knowledge about burden of disease estimations across Europe. Since 2019, the European Burden of Disease (burden-eu) Network has been acting as a technical platform for strengthening capacity in burden of disease assessments. The burden-eu network developed a forward-looking research agenda, identifying four key burden of disease themes: transparency and availability, method refinement, potential expansions, and specific topics. The research agenda’s priorities can be used to prioritise and guide the design of studies in the burden of disease framework. © The Author(s) 2026.