Human Exposure Assessment Location (HEAL)--historical review

The first part of the review describes events and newly acquired knowledge that anticipated the making of the HEAL project and its preparatory phase. The pilot study relied on the belief that the total exposure assessment should take into account different pollutants and their relative contribution in the human intake from different environmental media such as air, drinking water, food chain, and soil. The pilot study included exposure assessment to lead and cadmium, nitrogen dioxide, hexachlorobenzene, and DDT-complex. Concurrently, another study on indoor air quality in Kenya and Gambia took place. In its second phase, the project evaluated the actual trends and outlined potential future directions. It was decided that the project should focus on the promotion of exposure studies, particularly in developing countries, and that it should establish a closer relation with health risk assessment and environmental epidemiology. The last part of the review describes the participation of the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health in Zagreb, Croatia in the project and in related research activities performed after the pilot phase.     

International interlaboratory comparison of lead and cadmium determination in samples of suspended particulate matter

Equal parts of six real samples of suspended particulate matter were analysed for lead and cadmium by laboratories in three different countries. The results agreed very well. The agreement is encouraging considering queries that arise when results in international projects are compared.