PMID- 27692571 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20171012 LR - 20171221 IS - 1618-131X (Electronic) IS - 1438-4639 (Linking) VI - 220 IP - 2 Pt A DP - 2017 Mar TI - The added value of a surveillance human biomonitoring program: The case of FLEHS in Flanders (Belgium). PG - 46-54 LID - S1438-4639(16)30215-2 [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.09.013 [doi] AB - Since 2002, the Flemish Government decided to carry out the Flemish Environment and Health Survey (FLEHS), an extended human biomonitoring (HBM) program, which is integrated in the environmental health policy. Through the FLEHS studies, a vast amount of data such as biomarkers of exposure and effect, exposure-effect associations, time trends and geographical differences, became available to the Flemish policy makers. In order to facilitate the policy interpretation, a phased action-plan was developed collaboratively by FLEHS researchers and policy makers. In this article we look back on more than 15 years of investments of the Flemish government in HBM and reflect on how this large scaled and challenging HBM-initiative contributed to shaping the environmental health policy in Flanders. We used the FLEHS I (2002-2006) and II (2007-2011) results on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the resulting policy actions as an example to illustrate the added value of HBM for policy making. Policy measures for POPs, including source-related regulation (e.g. further optimization and tightening of existing Flemish legislation on open fires), investment in monitoring networks and communication and awareness campaigns, are presented and the added value for environmental health policy is discussed. We also reflect on how HBM can support science and innovation in the environmental monitoring context. Finally, we describe what society can gain from HBM in terms of opportunities for (1) feeding the political and societal debate, (2) stimulating community involvement and (3) empowering participants and citizens. All together, the gained insights and phased action plan showed that next to compliance with high scientific standards, results of the Flemish human biomonitoring campaign could be translated in targeted policy actions even for chemicals that have since long been regulated. CI - Copyright (c) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. FAU - Reynders, Hans AU - Reynders H AD - Environment & Health, Flemish Government, Environment, Nature and Energy Department, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: hans.reynders@lne.vlaanderen.be. FAU - Colles, Ann AU - Colles A AD - Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Dpt. Environmental Risk and Health, Mol, Belgium. Electronic address: ann.colles@vito.be. FAU - Morrens, Bert AU - Morrens B AD - Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: bert.morrens@uantwerpen.be. FAU - Mampaey, Maja AU - Mampaey M AD - Environment & Health, Flemish Government, Environment, Nature and Energy Department, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: maja.mampaey@lne.vlaanderen.be. FAU - Coertjens, Dries AU - Coertjens D AD - Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: dries.coertjens@uantwerpen.be. FAU - Koppen, Gudrun AU - Koppen G AD - Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Dpt. Environmental Risk and Health, Mol, Belgium. Electronic address: gudrun.koppen@vito.be. FAU - Schoeters, Greet AU - Schoeters G AD - Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Dpt. Environmental Risk and Health, Mol, Belgium. Electronic address: greet.schoeters@vito.be. FAU - Loots, Ilse AU - Loots I AD - Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: ilse.loots@uantwerpen.be. FAU - Chovanova, Hana AU - Chovanova H AD - Flemish Ministry of Welfare, Public Health and Family, Flemish Agency for Care and Health, Environmental Health Section, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: hana.chovanova@wvg.vlaanderen.be. FAU - Winderickx, Wim AU - Winderickx W AD - Strategy and Coordination Division, Department of Economy, Science and Innovation, Flemish Government, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: wim.winderickx@ewi.vlaanderen.be. FAU - Van Campenhout, Karen AU - Van Campenhout K AD - Environment & Health, Flemish Government, Environment, Nature and Energy Department, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: karen.vancampenhout@lne.vlaanderen.be. LA - eng PT - Journal Article PT - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't DEP - 20160920 PL - Germany TA - Int J Hyg Environ Health JT - International journal of hygiene and environmental health JID - 100898843 RN - 0 (Environmental Pollutants) SB - IM MH - Adolescent MH - Adult MH - Aged MH - Belgium MH - *Environmental Monitoring MH - Environmental Policy MH - Environmental Pollutants/analysis/blood MH - Health Policy MH - Humans MH - Infant, Newborn MH - Middle Aged MH - Young Adult OTO - NOTNLM OT - Chlorinated POPs OT - FLEHS OT - Human biomonitoring OT - Phased action plan OT - Science-policy interface EDAT- 2016/10/04 06:00 MHDA- 2017/10/13 06:00 CRDT- 2016/10/04 06:00 PHST- 2016/08/05 00:00 [received] PHST- 2016/09/16 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2016/09/16 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2016/10/04 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2017/10/13 06:00 [medline] PHST- 2016/10/04 06:00 [entrez] AID - S1438-4639(16)30215-2 [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.09.013 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2017 Mar;220(2 Pt A):46-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.09.013. Epub 2016 Sep 20.