Norwegian Institute of Public Health Kristine Bjerve Gutzkow, Birgitte Lindeman, Trygve Danielsen An overview 23.06.2011 Division of Environmental medicine.

Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Kristine Bjerve Gutzkow, Birgitte Lindeman, Trygve Danielsen

An overview

23.06.2011

Division of Environmental medicine

Department of Chemicals and Radiation

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH in Oslo and Bergen)

More than 1000 employees

23.06.2011

Aims of the NIPH

• Provide evidence based advice to the government and to the public at large

• Prevention of disease through– Health surveillance– Research– Advice and services

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Main areas

– Infectious disease control

– Environmental medicine

– Epidemiology of non-communicable diseases

– Mental health

– Forensic medicine and drug abuse research

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Environmental Medicine

We provide expert knowledge of environmental medicine:

– prevent disease and health injuries caused by environmental toxicants and other hazardous factors in the environment

– perform research and surveillance on environmental factors

– food and water safety, research on air pollution, noise pollution. Close collaboration with other relevant institutes and authorities

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Department of Chemicals and Radiation (MIKS)

• Experience in regulation of chemicals (at National and European levels)

• Identification of chemicals posing threats to humans and/or the environment

• Persistent chemicals

• Vision: No use of potentially harmful chemicals

• Classification and labelling of chemicals and products

Our research interest

• Chemical and radiation threats to fertility and offspringWe are active in research on agents and mechanisms relevant for:

–Genotoxicity and mutagenicity

–Reprotoxicity – male fertility and offspring health

–Neurodevelopment

–Implications of the exposome – cocktail effect

Close collaboration with our Directorate for the Environment (MDir)

Norway is not a full member of EU! However, as an associate member we have adopted most of EU’s regulations of chemicals•Pesticides•REACH•Biocide Directive

Safe use of chemicals – public health issues

• Population studies: – Used to monitor possible health problems when they

have occurred– Associations are found, but the existence of

causation is most often not known

• Experimental studies (in vivo and in vitro)– Provide mechanistic information– Essential for testing new substances, new products,

or new treatments (drugs)

Thank you!