Information

Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health:

The Society is running two meetings back to back in June 2007: a scientific conference and a NERC sponsored workshop, linked by a field trip.

The aim is to bring health and environmental professionals together to explore the many links between environmental geochemistry and health.

Links include environmental factors causing ill health from excess of a chemical [e.g arsenic], land contamination [e.g chromium], persistent environmental pollutants [e.g dioxins and oestrogen mimics] or even a deficiency of a chemical [e.g. iodine]. The burden of disease concept answers the question “How much disease is caused by environmental factors and how much by lifestyle and other factors?”

SEGH 25th European Conference:

Understanding environmental contributions to the burden of disease
4th – 5th June 2007, Liverpool, UK.

The conference is designed to share research findings. It will enable professionals and post-graduate students from both disciplines to learn from each other through platform and poster presentations of original research, and provide an opportunity time to meet and talk with fellow participants. Plenary sessions will follow a specific topic through from the environment to health to enable everyone to understand how the different aspects interact.

Papers are invited from PhD students, young post-doctoral fellows, health professionals in post-graduate training and established professionals. Prizes will be given to the best oral and poster presentations by postgraduate research students and trainees.

MULTIDUDE:
Multiple Links Towards Integrating Teams for Understanding of Disease and Environment
Workshop on Environment & Human Health
5th – 7th June 2007, Liverpool, UK.

MULTITUDE is a unique workshop, following on from the scientific conference, sponsored by NERC [National Environment Research Council] in the UK. It will unite researchers from both heath and geo/environmental communities by providing authoritative and broadly accessible reviews of the key issues in five important research areas, from both perspectives. Participants will be asked in the five workshops to discuss how ideas from the different specialisations can be combined to identify and address gaps in current understanding.
It is expected that interdisciplinary collaborations will result form the workshop and lead to fresh research strategies to address these important topic areas.
The reviews and conclusions from the five workshops will be published to give a state of the art review. Participants will be listed in the overview of MULTITUDE in the final publication.

Workshop 1 Transport and dynamics of toxic pollutants in the natural environment and their effect on human health. To integrate and quantify risks to human health from toxic pollutants [including low level concentrations], their environmental pathways and their effects in people. Prof Andrew Hursthouse / George Kowalczyk

Workshop 2 Uncertainty in risk assessment, epidemiology and regulation. To determine a multi-disciplinary approach towards estimating and reducing the uncertainty inherent in taking a risk-based approach to environmental hazards to human health. Prof Mike Ramsey / Prof David Briggs

Workshop 3 Social, economic and behavioural factors in the genesis and health impact of environmental hazards. To asses the impact and contribution of social, economic and behavioural factors on health that is disrupted by environmental toxins and pollution. Rupert Adams / Geoff Barnes

Workshop 4 Strategies for improving health in contaminated situations. To determine the best multi-disciplinary practices and approaches that will both alleviate contamination and improve health outcomes. Prof John Farmer / Dr Richard Jarvis

Workshop 5 The effects of multiple toxic pollutants on health. To determine practical approaches to the investigation and alleviation of pollution by multiple toxins. Prof Joy Carter / Prof Virginia Murray

Field Trip:

Open to participants in either the conference of the workshop.
5th June 2007, Liverpool, UK.

An overarching case study will be presented in a fieldtrip and presentations on Weston Quarries, Runcorn. This is a major organic pollution event with sub-surface pollutant migration which led to issues of population migration and demolition of buildings, questions on toxicology and the involvement of multiple stake-holders. It produced internationally significant research on human behaviour, new toxicological guidance and continues to stimulate investigation into links between health and the environment.

The field trip is only open to delegates attending either, or both, the conference and MULTITUDE.

Abstracts

Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health
SEGH 25th European Conference:

Understanding environmental contributions to the burden of disease
4th – 5th June 2007, Liverpool, UK.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Submission date: Friday 20th April 2007

Abstracts for podium and poster presentation are requested for this meeting. The content of the abstract should clearly relate to the aims and objectives of the meeting. www.seghconference.co.uk/timetable.html

The abstract and its presentation should illustrate and explore the links between environmental issues and health. Abstracts that concentrate solely on environmental or health issues, without reference to how these issues are interlinked, should not be submitted. However, the organisers do not expect every submission to have joint health and environmental authorship.

Abstracts will be selected on their scientific merit, and should clearly and succinctly describe aims, procedures, major findings, significance of the research and conclusions. Evaluation will be based upon the quality and novelty of data presented. Abstracts containing insufficient information for review will be rejected.

Entries must be reproduced clearly on the form

Abstract Form

The entire abstract must be confined within the allocated space.
Type the title in UPPER CASE, Times New Roman (12pt) font,
Author(s) name(s) in upper and lower case, Times New Roman (12pt) font and
Affiliation(s) in upper and lower case, Times New Roman (11pt) font
Identify the presenting author by an asterisk (*). Please give adequate addresses, indicating the affiliation of each author by superscripts. Follow the example given on the reverse of the abstract form.

Abstract Example

Illustrations and tables are not permitted within the abstract. However, one reference may be included (give authors, year, journal, volume and first page number).

Authors may indicate a preference for podium or poster presentation but the decision of the organising committee will final.

All abstracts will be made available on the conference web pages, unless the authors indicate otherwise.

Any questions about the abstract or the submission process should be made to the organizers astewart@nwhpa.nhs.uk Do NOT submit the abstract to this address.

Abstracts should be submitted electronically to the conference organisers: abstracts.SEGH@nwhpa.nhs.uk

Abstract Form SEGH 2007

There will be a prize awarded for the best paper and poster