Toolkit of the IEHIAS

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Data

Context

Any assessment of environmental health impacts depends on the context in which it is undertaken: the specific study area and population, and the assumptions made as part of the assessment scenarios. These contextual conditions need to be specified. In addition, many of thedata sets used in an assessment (for example on sources, exposures andf health effects) have to be lined to some form of spatial reference system (such as administrative regions) or linked to recognisable environmental features (e.g. cities, landscape zones) for the purpose of analysis, visualisation and interpretation.

For all these reasons, assessments require a range of contextual or background data, including:

1. Geographic data, such as:

• administrative areas

• Administrative boundaries - EuroBoundaryMap

• topography

2. Population and demography, such as:

• population numbers or density
• age and gender
• socio-economic status

3. Background health status, such as:

• mortality rates
• morbidity

Selected data sets, and information on other data sources, are available here.

• Geographic

• Administrative

• Administrative boundaries - EuroBoundaryMap

• Topography

• Population/Demography

• Population numbers/distribution

Title

EU population: Eurostat

Eu population totals: 100 metre grid

EU age/sex stratified population: LAU2

EU age/sex stratified population: 100 metre grid

EU age- and gender- stratified population data: EMEP grid (2010, 2020, 2030 and 2050

• Behaviour/Lifestyle

• EU age- and gender- stratified population data: EMEP grid (2010, 2020, 2030 and 2050)

• Socio-economic status

Environmental

• General environmental data sources

• ExpoPlatform: Web based platform for exposure assessment

• Agents

• Chemicals

Title

ExpoPlatform: Source attribution

• Heavy metals

Title

ExpoPlatform: Source attribution

FOREGS: Geochemical Atlas of Europe

SOTER: Soil degradation and vulnerability map

• POPS

Title

ExpoPlatform: Source attribution

• Radiation
• Wastes

Title

Plants of treatment of Municipal Solid Waste in Lazio: Example from Waste Study

• Electromagnetic radiation

• Infrastructure
• Activities
• Land cover / use

• Noise
• Sources
• Releases

• Emission factors
• Emission scenarios
• Emissions

• Environmental media/processes

• Air pollution
• Climate/meteorology
• Indoor environments
• Soil
• Water quality

Exposure/Dose

• Exposure

Title

ExpoPlatform: Intake fractions

ExpoPlatform: Databases and tools for exposure assessment

• Intake/dose

Title

Biomarkers

Effects and Impacts

• Exposure-response relationships

• Exposure / Dose / Concentration response functions
• Toxicology

• [Health effects]
• Impacts

• Monetary weights and values
• Severity weights

Examples and case studies

Examples of assessment methods

-providing worked examples and illustrations of how to carry out specific analytical procedures and steps in the IEHIA process

• Issue-framing

• Defining the question: an example from agriculture
• Defining the question: an example from waste
• Defining the question: an example from water

• Stakeholder consultation and engagement

• Defining the stakeholders: an example from agriculture
• Defining the stakeholders: an example from waste
• Defining the stakeholders: an example from water
• Engaging stakeholders: an example from water

• Scenarios

• Creating scenarios: an example from agriculture
• Creating scenarios: an example from transport
• Creating scenarios: an example from waste
• Downscaling IPCC SRES-population scenarios from OECD- to the city-level: London, Rome, Helsinki
• Creating scenarios: an example for UVR and skin cancer
• Creating scenarios: an example from water

• Scoping

• Building conceptual models: an example from agriculture
• Building a conceptual model: the example of transport
• Scoping the assessment: ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and future skin cancer

• Indicator selection

• Building indicators: an example from agriculture

• Human biomonitoring

• Case study lead in Europe
• Exploring the full-chain approach for PAHs using 2 case studies in Flanders and the Czech Republic
• The Benchmark Dose (BMD) approach for health effects of PCB exposure
• Case study PCBs in Slovak Republic

• Population modelling

• Spatial population modelling: an example using dasymetric disaggregation

• Source characterisation

• Characterising source intensity: an example from agriculture
• Modelling road transport: examples from the Hague and Helsinki
• Network modelling: modelling waste transport
• Mask area weighting: an example for pesticides
• Stochastic allocation: an example for pesticides

• Emission modelling

• Modelling contaminant release: an example from agriculture
• Modelling contaminant releases: an example from waste

• Environmental transport and transformation

• Dispersion modelling: an example from agriculture
• Dispersion modelling: an example from waste
• Dispersion modelling; an example from transport
• Focal sum modelling: an example for agriculture
• Land use regression modelling: air pollution in Great Britain
• Modelling ultraviolet radiation exposures: a European case study
• Using a Kalman filter to improve a real time air pollution model

• Exposure modelling

• Using a Kalman filter to improve a real time air pollution model

• Intake and dose

• Intake fraction: exposure to pesticides in food
• Intake fractions of cadmium emissions from a large zinc smelter
• Using a PBPK model to assess population exposure to cadmium

• Deriving exposure-response functions

• Combining epidemiology and toxicology for the purpose of deriving ERFs: TCDD-induced dental aberrations
• Expert elicitation: case study on ultrafine particles
• Estimating-exposure response functions: an example from transport
• Estimating exposure-response functions: pesticides, PM and endotoxins from agriculture

• Health effects

• Estimating baseline skin cancer incidence for London, Helsinki and Rome
• Estimating health effects: UVR and skin cancer
• Health impact modelling: ultraviolet radiation and non-melanoma skin cancer
• Health impact modelling: ultraviolet radiation and melanoma skin cancer
• Calculating attributable cancer incidence: an example from waste
• Estimating health effects: an example from waste

• Impact analysis

• Calculating DALYs: an example from waste
• DALY calculations: UVR and skin cancer
• Impact analysis: an example from transport

• Uncertainty analysis

• Qualitative uncertainty assessment: a worked example
• Uncertainty in the agriculture case study
• Sensitivity analysis: ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and skin cancer
• Uncertainty analysis: an example from waste

Examples of integrated assessments

-comprising reports of full integrated environmental health impact assessments.

• Changing ambient UVR and future melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer in London, Rome and Helsinki
• Health effects of waste management
• Integrated assessment of heavy metal releases in Europe

Models and methods

Contains method and model fact sheets

• Issue framing tools

This folder provides information on, and access to, a range of tools that can be used to help in issue-framing, as part of integrated environmental health impact assessment. Methods covered include:

• scope issues
• building conceptual models
• selecting and constructing indicators

Item	Type	Description
Indicator selection: a protocol	Protocol	General protocol and guidelines for selecting and builsing indicators for IEHIA
Mind-mapping tools	List	List of selected software and web-based tools for generating mind-maps (with links)
Tools for building system diagrams	List	List of selected software and web-based tools for generating systems diagrams and flow charts (with links)

• Collaborative assessment

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools to facilitate collaboration in integrated environmental health impact assessments - both between members of the assessment team, and with members of the wider user and stakeholder communities.

Item	Type	Description
Protocol on stakeholder involvement	Protocol	Protocol setting out principles for collaboration and stakeholder engagement in assessments, and outlining some of the methods that may be used.

• Scenario modelling

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools that can be used to help develop and run scenarios, for the purpose of integrated environmental health impact assessment.

Item	Type	Description
Tools for scenario construction	List	Listing and brief outline of software and on-line tools for developing scenarios for impact assessment

• Screening tools

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools that can be used for rapid assessment of environmental health issues, as part of the screening process in IEHIA.

• Spatial analysis and visualisation

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for spatial analysis and visualisation, as part of integrated environmental health impact assessments.

Item	Type	Description
Focal sum modelling	Model	Downloadable program, providing functionality to run focalsum models in ARcGIS. Includes explanation of methodology and instruction manual
Land use regression	Protocol	Detailed protocol for carrying out land use regression analysis
Spatial visualisation toolbox	Model	Operational, web-based system for mapping and visualising spatial data as part of integrated environmental health impact assessment; provides front-end to IEHIA computation system
SIENA	Model	Urban simulation, providing data and methods for modelling environmental health processes in a controlled environment

• Population modelling

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for modelling population distribution and structure, either spatially or over time.

• Source apportionment models

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods for source apportionment, as part of environmental health impact assessment.

Item	Type	Description
Chemical mass balance models	Factsheet	Regression-based mass balance methodology for source apportionment
Positive matrix factorisation	Factsheet	Factor analysis-based methodology of positive matrix factorisation, for source apportionment
Principal components analysis	Factsheet	Methodology for applying principal components analysis as a basis for source apportionment

• Emission models

This folder provides information on, and access to, emission models, as part of environmental health impact assessment.

• Air pollution models

This folder provides information on, and access to, air pollution models, for use in environmental health impact assessment.

Item	Type	Description
ADMS-Urban	Factsheet	Semi-Gaussian, local-scale air pollution model, designed to simulate dispersion in urban environments
CAR-International	Factsheet	Simple, spreadsheet-based screening model for local air pollution assessment
CHIMERE	Factsheet	Multi-scale model designed to produce daily forecasts of ozone, aerosols and other pollutants and make long-term simulations for emission control scenarios
EcoSenseWeb	Factsheet	Integrated atmospheric dispersion and exposure assessment tool, originally designed for analysis of single point sources (but can also be applied to analyse multi emission sources)

• Hydrological and water quality models

This folder provides information on, and access to, models of surface water hydrology and stream and groundwater quality, which can be used in integrated environmental health impact assessment.

Item	Type	Description
List of hydrological and water quality models	List	Listing and brief description of, and links to, a range of simple-to medium-complexity models of surface runoff and surface and ground-water quality
DOCmod	Algorithm	Algorithms for modelling dissolved organic carbon content in surface water supplies, as basis for estimating exposures to disinfection by-products

• Noise models

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for modelling noise, as part of integrated environmental health impact assessments.

• Electro-magnetic radiation models

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for modelling the electro-magnetic radiation from transmitters such as mobile phone, radio or TV masts.

Item	Type	Description
EMF path loss models	Model	Spreadsheet for calculating EMF on the basis of path-loss models. Provides three models (COST231 Hata, COST-231Walfisch-Ikegami and ECC-33); computation possible for single transmitters only.
Radioworks	Model	Free, downloadable software for estimating EMF path loss, using a range of models
GEOMORF	Model	GIS-based model to estimate power density associated with mobile phone transmitters (macrocells). Provides capability to model several thousand transmitters, simultaneously.

• UV radiation models

This folder provides information on, and access to, models of UV radiation, which can be used to assess human exposures for the purpose of integrated environmental health impact assessment.

Item	Type	Description
UV radiation models and on-line simulation tools	Factsheet	Summary of a number of UV radiation models and simulation tools, of varying complexity, and providing different exposure and health risk indicators

• Micro-environmental models

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for modelling contaminant concentrations in indoor and other enclosed micro-environments.

Item	Type	Description
CONTAM	Factsheet	Multizonal indoor air quality and ventilation program designed to determine the airflow in a building, chemical contaminant concentration in various rooms of the building, and personal exposure to chemical contaminants present in building. Freely available.
INDEX	Model	Simple spreadsheet-based formulation of a mass-balance model, for simulating indoor concentrations of particulates (and other inert pollutants) on the basis of information about outdoor concentrations; produces probabilistic distributions for each target location.
RISK IAQ	Factsheet	Multi-compartment indoor air quality model, designed for analysing the impact of sources, sinks, ventilation, and air cleaners on indoor air quality and exposures.

• Multi-media models

This folder provides information on, and access to, multi-media environmental fate models. These models simulate transfers between and concentrations of pollutants in different media (e.g. air, water, soil) or other environmental compartments.

Item	Type	Description
CalTOX	Factsheet	Set of spreadsheet models and spreadsheet data sets for assessing human exposures from continuous releases to multiple environmental media (air, soil, and water)
PANGEA	Factsheet	Multi-scale, multimedia model of environmental fate of organic and other pollutants
dynemiCROP	Factsheet	Aspatial, multiscale model for impact assessment of health impacts of ingestion of plant protection products in food

• Exposure, intake and dose models

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for modelling human exposure, intake or doses of environmental contaminants, as part of integrated environmental health impact assessments.

Item	Type	Description
IndusChemFate	Factsheet	Generic physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to estimate blood and urine concentrations of multiple chemicals; developed to predict exposure in workers and consumers, and considers inhalation, dermal and oral exposures. Available free.
PBPK model for cadmium	Factsheet	Model based on Kjellström and Nordberg (1978) for predicting invididual and population based exposure to cadmium from oral and inhalatory intake
PBTK model for dioxin	Factsheet	Physiologically based toxicokinetics modelling process to simulate ingestion exposures to 2,3,7,8-tétra-chloro-p-dioxin (TCDD) for a woman over her whole life; the model computes various measures of internal dose as a function of time

• Exposure-response function methodology

This folders provides information on, and access to, methods to derive exposure-response functions, for use in integrated environmental health impact assessments.

Item	Type	Description
Exposure-response functions protocol	Protocol	Detailed guidelines, and description of methods, for deriving exposure-response functions from epidemiological and toxicilogical evidence; includes methods of systematic review and expert elicitation

• Impact analysis methods and tools

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for assessing health impacts, in the form of aggregate impact measures. It includes methods for both health-based and monetary-based indicators.

Item	Type	Description
Impact calculation tool	Model	Analytica-based model for calculating DALYs, years of life lost (YLL) and years lost due o disease (YLD); uses life tables and allows for discounting and age-weighting, if required

• Uncertainty analysis methods and tools

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for analysing uncertainties in integrated environmental health impact assessments.

Item	Type	Description
Aguila	Factsheet	Exploratory, spatially-based data analysis tool, which presents uncertainties as probability distributions, which can be interactively graphed and mapped
Protocol on expert elicitation	Protocol	Detailed guidelines on use of expert elicitation methods to deal with uncertainties in integrated environmental health impact assessment
Value of information	Protocol	Detailed explanation of concept of value of information, and of how it can be applied to support decision-making, by enabling benefits of waiting for/acquiring additional information in terms of quality of decision to be judged

• Generic assessment tools

This folder provides information on generic methods and tools that can be used in integrated environmental health impact assessment, including:

• health impact assessment methods
• risk assessment methods
• decision support tools

Item	Type	Description
Decision support tools metadatabase	Factsheet	Metadatabase and on-line search tool which includes software, handbooks, methodologies and data on environmental stressors, emissions, pathways, exposure and health effect; contains information on over 80 tools.

• Monitoring methods

This folder provides information on, and access to, methods and tools for monitoring, in support of integrated environmental health impact assessment, including:

• environmental monitoring and survey
• human biomonitoring
• health surveillance

Item	Type	Description
Human biomonitoring	Factsheet	Descriptions of sampling and measurement methods, and data interpretation, for 15 biomarkers of exposure and/or effect.
Framework for integrated monitoring	Protocol	Set of protocols and recommendations for the design and implementation of integrated monitoring and for data linkage programmes

Listings

Case study summary reports

Title

Case study lead in Europe

Case study pyrene exposure

Changing ambient UVR and future skin cancer in London, Rome and Helsinki: melanoma skin cancer (CMM)

Changing ambient UVR and future skin cancer in London, Rome and Helsinki: non-melanoma skin cancer (BCC and SCC)

Current and Future Impacts of Heat on Mortality in three European cities

Health impacts of agricultural land use change in Greece and Great Britain

Health impacts of regulative policies on use of di-n-butylphthalate (DBP) in consumer products

Health impacts of regulative policies on use of Formaldehyde in consumer products

Integrated environmental and health impact assessment of waste management in Lazio (Italy)

Integrated environmental health impact assessment for disinfection by-products in drinking water

Modelling of ambient nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the city of Barcelona, with an application to assess the impact of a bicycle stimulation policy

Transport case study report. Do the health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks?

Transport case study report: evaluation of the health effects of the traffic circulation plan in the Hague

Models and tools

Title	Category
ConsExpo	Exposure Model
CalTOX	Environmental Fate Model, Exposure Model
CHIMERE	Decision support tool, Environmental Fate Model
Aguila	Uncertainly Tool
CONTAM	Exposure Model
EcoSenseWeb	Environmental Fate Model, Exposure Model, Impact Assesment/ Calculation, Whole Causal Chain
Radiation models and online simulation tools	Exposure Model
Physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model for dioxin	Pharmacokinetic Model
Decision Support Tools metadatabase	Decision support tool
RISK IAQ model	Exposure Model
Focal sum modelling	Environmental Fate Model, Exposure Model, Impact Assesment/ Calculation
dynamiCROP	Environmental Fate Model, Exposure Model, Impact Assesment/ Calculation, Model for Valuation
PANGEA	Environmental Fate Model, Exposure Model, Impact Assesment/ Calculation, Model for Valuation
Geomorf – Geographical Model of Radio-Frequency Power Density	Environmental Fate Model
Indoor air pollution model (IndEx)

Worked examples of assessment techniques

Title

Source characterisation

Population modelling

Evolution of ozone and particulate matter concentrations in Europe under climate change with the CHIMERE model

Combining epidemiology and toxicology for the purpose of deriving ERFs: TCDD-induced dental aberrations

Scoping

Issue-framing

Intake fractions of cadmium emissions from a large zinc smelter

Scenarios

Scoping the assessment: ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and future skin cancer

Creating scenarios: an example for UVR and skin cancer

Estimating health effects: UVR and skin cancer

Downscaling IPCC SRES-population scenarios from OECD- to the city-level: London, Rome, Helsinki

Modelling ultraviolet radiation exposures: a European case study

Estimating baseline skin cancer incidence for London, Helsinki and Rome

Health impact modelling: ultraviolet radiation and non-melanoma skin cancer

Health impact modelling: ultraviolet radiation and melanoma skin cancer

DALY calculations: UVR and skin cancer

Sensitivity analysis: ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and skin cancer

Health effects

Stakeholder consultation and engagement

Intake fraction: exposure to pesticides in food

Using a PBPK model to assess population axposure to cadmium

Expert elicitation: case study on ultrafine particles

Using a Kalman filter to improve a real time air pollution model

An algorithm for Monte Carlo analysis

Qualitative uncertainly assessment: a worked example

Worked examples of complete assessments

Title

Case study PAHs in Czech Republic

Case study PAHs in Slovak Republic

Changing ambient UVR and future melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer in London, Rome and Helsinki

Health impacts of regulatory policies on the use of toluene in consumer products in Europe

Integrated assessment of heavy metal releases in Europe