IFMSA-Projects´ half year report for the 54th August Meeting of IFMSA, August 1st to 7th Hurghada, Egypt

the report has to be submitted until May 1st to secgen@ifmsa.org and psd@ifmsa.org

Name of Project A.S.P.IS (Awareness Strategies for Pollution from IndustrieS)

Involved NMOs HelMSICName of Project Coordinators

1)Alexandra Ziova2) Lito Tzagkaroulaki

Contact Details of Project Coordinators (email, telephone, address)

1) Alexandra Ziova Amaliados 26

11523 Ampelokipi Athens+30 6976774847

2) litotzag@hotmail.comPapadiamadopoulou 26

Ilisia Athens +30 6973477337

Date of recognition as IFMSA project

Cape Town, August 1997

Short Introduction to the project activities and aims

PROJECT AIMS

To improve management of the pollution - related diseases: by setting up of data base of cases documenting the relationship between

environmental exposure and disease on selected cases under the subjects:

1. Mobility relates diseases

2. Fertility problems related to the environment

3. Congenital diseases in different EU countries, validating data using tools as health impact assessment including hazard mapping

 

by bringing together the different intervening stake holders (policy makers, health civil servants, NGOs, medical experts, journalists, lawyers, medical doctors) together in 3 workshops on the above environmental health impacts to enhance the

flow of information, identify bottlenecks and make recommendations  

by developing strategies and communication tools for the dissemination of information based on new technology

There is a growing concern on the rising incidence of pollution - related diseases. Existing data need to be linked and organized in order to provide documentation for the correlation of environmental impact on human health. EU, recognizing the complexity of the economic and social consequences evolving with environmental factors, has made tremendous efforts to address the rising cost of this subject. Despite the increasingly need for sources of reliable information on environmental health issues, the association between environmental exposure and health effects, information on risk factors related to epidemiology, test methods in use and identification of hot spots, pollution - related effects and critical development windows, are not fully documented. This project is proposing to fill gaps by enhancing the flow of relevant information training decision - makers on environmental health impact simultaneously aiming at developing a level of understanding ensuring sustainable development and multidisciplinary cooperation.

Activity report for the past half year

Environmental impact on congenital diseases

AREHNA Workshop, 9-11 June 2005PILI Cultural Center, Kos Island

PROGRAMM

Thursday 9 June 2005

Problem formulation.Overview of the problem of Environmental Impact on Health. Morning Session Coordinators: L. Hens, C. Sekeris

09:10

Welcome address by project coordinator P.Nicolopoulou – Stamati

09:1510:00

Key note address: Sets the scene John Peterson Myers

10:4 Coffee Break

511:15

Discussion

12:00

Official Opening by the Mayor and Kos authorities

12:30

Lunch break

Afternoon Session:

Session Coordinators: C.V. Howard, A. Mantovani

13:30

Male Dysgenesis Syndrome Jorma Toppari

13:45

Endocrine disrupters, inflammation and steroidogenesis Olle Soder

14.30

Maternal exposure and cryptorchism Patrick Thonneau

15.00

Endocrine disrupter exposure and risk of male congenital malformations

Nicolas Olea Serrano

15:30

Discussion

17:00 Departure by bus to hotel and then to Zia mountain for ouzo and dinner.

Friday 10 June 2005

Morning Session Coordinators: C. Evangelides, C.V. Howard

09:00 Congenital Diseases related to

environmental exposure to dioxinsJanna Koppe

09:35 Endpoints for prenatal exposures in toxicological studies

Alberto Mantovani

10.00 Association of intra uterus exposure with drugs. Thalidomide effect

Maurizio Clemente

10:30 Coffee Break11:00 EUROCAT: surveillance of environmental Helen Dolk

impact Martine Vrijheid11:30 Do we have evidence from the wild life Gwynne Lyons

12.30Lunch at the old spring “Pigi”

13.30 Departure for Asclepieion by bus (optional) * Guided visit to Asclepieion

Afternoon Session: European Environmental Agency Multicausuality Round Table Discussion Session coordinators: David Gee, Vyvyan Howard

14:30 Brain storming on MulticausalityReporteur: Nicholas Lelos

John Peterson Myers

15:0015.3016:00 Coffee Break16.30 Discussion17.30 Departure by bus to Hotel and then to

the Ancient Roman Odeon of Kos

20.00-21.00 Harp and Flute concert at the Roman Odeon, in the city of Kos

21.50 Dinner

* If you wish to visit the ancient Asclepieion, please contact Ms Alexandra Katsivelaki at the computer room, Thursday 9th June until 2.00 pm. Saturday 11 June 2005

Morning Session Coordinators: C.V. Howard, Nicolas Olea 09:00 Raising awareness on impact to EU

policies of Information Society RTD and deployment projects results

Vassilios Laopodis

09.15 Country report on Congenital diseases in Greece

Emmanuel AgapitosManolis Brillakis

Evaggelos Fousteris

09.30 Country report on Congenital diseases in Bulgaria Stoyan Stoyanov-

Ekaterina Terlemesian

09.50 Environmental risk and new born sex ratio

Miroslav Peterka

10.30Coffee Break

11.00 Pesticides exposure in relation to congenital diseases Catherine Wattiez

11.30 The point of view on congenital diseases of NGO’s concerning environmental exposure

Genon JensenMarie Christine Dewolf

12.00 Congenital Diseases in China Yongtang Jin12.30 Lunch13.30 Conclusions-Closing

Raporteur: Nguyen Thi ThucLuc Hens

15.00 Departure by bus to Hotel and then to Airport or Hot Springs Free afternoon

18.30-21.00 Dinner at the sea shore, Greek Dancing Evening

The summaries of the meeting are available at www.arehna.di.uoa.gr

 

Evaluation (comparison with plan of action, summary of student reports)

The important event of this semester was the meeting on Kos island. Many specialists from all over Europe participated. This third meeting was the most popular of all and many members of the academic stuff of our University have taken part. Our goals for this semester were much more extended, but the students that were mostly involved in it have already graduated and started working and there is a lack of cooperation between new involved students and the scientific coordinator. The new Helmsic members have a great willing to involve themselves with the project but

some training is necessary. This is something that didn’t work this semester and we intend to do in the coming year.

Update on the present political and security situation in the country of the project

Political situation and security are stable in Greece

Updated general plan of action

The third meeting that was held on Kos island has finalized the AREHNA activities as apart of ASPIS project. A book that concludes all outcomes from these meetings is about to be published. The new phase of ASPIS is under programming procedures. Training seminars are going to be held as it is mentioned before.

Detailed plan of action for the coming half yearTraining seminars will be held during a national EB meeting about the project for the newcomers in next year. In some weeks we will be informed about project’s new activities and then we will be able to make our own plan of action. ASPIS has also started a Master’s Degree in our School. We are thinking of organizing a meeting in the medical school about Waste management, a topic very

Updated general budgetOur expends were: 100euros for posters and brochures 50euros for copies and other materialTransportation expends were covered by the funds of the project (EU)

Detailed budget for the coming half yearNo detailed budget can be available for the time being since we don’t know yet the project’s perspective. When the scientific committee programs the future activities we will be able to list our needs and make a budget. Standard expends will be for sure some information material for the new helmsic members and the students in our school. We will need also funds for the training seminars but we cannot yet calculate them since we will organize them in the next year.

Problems faced in the past half year (if none please indicate so)

Contact problems between helmsic members and between helmsic and the

scientific team of the project have to be mentioned. These problems occurred when many people that were involved with the project graduated or due to final exams didn’t have the time to participate in its activities. The preparations of the meeting also made contact with the scientific stuff difficult.

Specific expectations from the Projects Support Division-Daily project coordinators’meetings during the GA-Contact on regular basis and interest in ifmsa-projects list

Ideas and suggestions on how to improve the projects´situation in IFMSA

Fundraising for projects via IFMSACreate project groups