WG on Aerobiology Pollution - Activities
The ENVI Committee has a key opportunity to vote for cleaner air
http://www.alphavisa.com/esa/2016/index.php
Investigating allergic effects of environmental exposures
http://www.eaaci.org/schools/Final%20Programme%20Allergy%20School%20Brindisi.pdf
Allergies in a Changing Environment in Europe
21 March 2012, Brussels, EU-Parliament
The EAACI Interest Group „Aerobiology and Air Pollution” organised a 2 hours workshop in the EU-Parliament in Brussels. The aim was to make politicians aware of the ongoing epidemic in allergic disease (Prof. Dr. Isabella Annesi-Maesano, France, and Peter Burney, UK), that current therapies are still insufficient (Prof. Dr. Antonella Muraro, Italy), that changed land use in the EU can lead to more allergic sensitizations (Prof. Dr. Carmen Galan, Spain), and that allergies are an environmental, multifactorial disease that need a concerted research approach (Prof. Dr. Jeroen Buters, Germany). We tried to identify where the EU currently spends it research money on allergic diseases (Prof. Buters), and where more attention is needed (exposome). A 30 minutes panel discussion led by Dr. Lorenzo Cecchi (Italy) and supplemented with Prof. Mikhail Sofiev (Finland) gave stakeholders time to vent their interests.
The key messages were:
1. Currently an epidemic in allergic disease going on and an end is not in sight
2. More research funding into the causes of this increase is needed
A Member of Parliament, Esther de Lange, sponsored and spoke at our meeting. About 46 participants were present, including WHO, FP7 and patient organisation stakeholders. Surprisingly was the vivid interest of patient organisations (Allergy UK, European Federation of Allergy, EFA, European Public Health Alliance, EPHA, and more). They would like to be heard by politicians and concluded that allergic patients are not satisfied with the current situation and ask for improvements (more funding for pollen monitoring and into the causes of the epidemic).
Although we had hoped for more Members of Parliament and the Commissions, the workshop was a success. In the Parliament many parallel sessions are held, like on “The Effect of Climate Change on Illegal Immigration”, “Healthy Buildings”, “COPD” (all at the same time), and on this political market “Allergies” is just another stand. We need to do more to be heard. This EAACI workshop was the beginning of a series of workshops planned by the Academy.
I thank all the participants for devoting time to this political activity.
Prof. Dr. Jeroen Buters
Interest Group Aerobiology and Air Pollution Secretary
More information about the programme can be found on www.eaaci.net and/or www.hialine.eu. Under the EAACI Website you can also read the press release about this workshop.
Allergies are the most prevalent chronic diseases in Europe with a >20% frequency. Allergic diseases to airborne allergens have been steadily increasing over the past few decades and an end of this increase is not in sight. Especially the younger generations show a higher incidence of allergic diseases. Thus, by the year 2040, more than 40% of the population will present an allergic predisposition in Europe.
The reasons for this steady increase are unclear. The Interest Group Aerobiology and Air Pollution of the EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) is organizing a workshop to inform stakeholders about the ongoing and future developments in allergy research in Europe to
increase the public awareness for this ongoing epidemic.
Find out all about the EAACI Public Workshop by downloading the file below.
EAACI Public Workshop
IG Aerobiology and air pollution
EAACI-COST workshop
Epidemiological evidence on the links between aerotoxicants and allergic diseases
Berlin, October 13, 2011
Charité Hospital
Submitted by Dr Lorenzo Cecchi, Dr Isabella Annesi-Maesano and Prof Karl-Christian Bergmann
Rationale:
Exposures to bioaerosols and chemical pollutants are associated with a wide range of allergic and health effects with major public health impact, including acute toxic effects, allergies, infectious diseases, and cancer. Respiratory symptoms and diseases and lung function impairment are the most widely studied and probably among the most important aerotoxicant-associated health effects. In addition to these adverse health effects, some protective effects of microbial exposure on atopy and atopic conditions have also been suggested. A dose–response relationship has not been established for most agents and knowledge about threshold values is sparse.The purpose of the workshop is to collect major experts in the field of allergic diseases to present the state of art on the links between aerotoxicants and allergic diseases and identify unmet needs. Specific recommendations will be implemented.
The workshop will be held at the occasion of the COST Action meeting in Berlin, October 14-15, 2011.
Chairpersons:
Heidrun Behrendit (Germany)Lorenzo Cecchi (Italy)
| 11:00 to 13:00: From environmental exposure to bedside | |
| The effects of environment on allergic respiratory diseases: state of the art | |
| Gennaro D’Amato (Italy) | 25 min |
| Pathophysiology of the allergic response | |
| Carsten Schmidt-Weber (Germany) | 25 min |
| Data driven methods for investigating and forecasting symptoms and medication use in allergy patients | |
| Kostas Karatzas (Greece) | 25 min |
| Clinical threshold of pollen | |
| Karl Christian Bergman (Germany) | 25 min |
| Discussion | |
| Lunch | |
Chairmen:Heidrun Behrendt (Germany)Lorenzo Cecchi (Italy) |
|
| 14:00 – 18:00: The impact of the environment on allergic diseases | |
| Chemical pollutants and allergies – Including interactions between bioaerosols and chemical pollutants. | |
| I Annesi-Maesano (France) | 25 min |
| The skin as an outdoor target organ | |
| Johannes Ringe (Germany) | 25 min |
| The use of weather data and climate | |
| Mikhail Sofiev (Finland) | 25 min |
| Moving from pollen to allergen count | |
| Mikhail Sofiev (Finland) | 25 min |
| Moving from pollen to allergen count | |
| Jeroen Buters (Germany) | 25 min |
| Standardization and homogenization of aerobiological data from the patient’s point of view | |
| Uwe Berger/Siegfried Jager (Austria) | 25 min |
| Discussion | |
| Multidisciplinary Round table, jointly with the COST EUPOL MC: Future directions Lorenzo Cecchi, Heidrun Behrendt |
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