DISKUSIA Monitorovanie životného prostredia a jeho vplyv na zdravie

Environmental monitoring tracks pollutants in the air, water, soil, or food, while human biomonitoring measures chemicals and effects directly in the human (and animal) body. We present examples from Norway and Slovakia and the experience of how the pandemic accelerated both the collection and use of data. Finally, we will outline which technologies will determine whether we can turn data into better health.

What distinguishes environmental monitoring from biomonitoring

Environmental monitoring measures exposure – that is, what is in our surroundings: air, water, soil, or food pollution. Biomonitoring captures internal exposure and effect, for example concentrations of chemicals in blood or urine, toxicological indicators, or even genetic susceptibility to the effects of exposure. Together they connect "what we breathe and eat" with "what happens in our bodies" and make it possible to assess health consequences. For some substances, individual sensitivity is also monitored, because the same dose may not have the same effect in everyone.

How it works in practice: Norway, Slovakia, and the pandemic experience

In Norway, a large mother–child biobank (with fathers also participating) with approximately 300,000 participants is worth mentioning, whose samples are available for approved research projects. In addition, a network of stations has long monitored contaminants, greenhouse gases, and ozone, and specialized teams assess the aquatic environment, covering lakes, fjords, and the coast. In Slovakia, environmental monitoring has a long tradition, but a nationwide human biomonitoring program is getting underway: in 2019 the government approved the "Environment and Health" action plan, from which the national HBM program emerged. The WHO conference in Budapest (2023) brought recommendations and the so‑called Budapest Declaration, which are now being put into practice, and in the meantime the pandemic accelerated progress: wastewater and air surveillance and SARS‑CoV‑2 sequencing created large datasets that we cannot fully exploit without bioinformatics and artificial intelligence.

Technologies, data, and the future of "One Health"

Epidemiological evidence links air pollution to multiple diseases; fine particles and toxins penetrate the bloodstream, and studies have suggested their presence even in brain tissue. Online measurements and miniaturized sensors (including personalized monitors and satellite remote sensing) are advancing rapidly, as are next-generation sequencing, environmental DNA, and gut microbiome research. It is crucial that data be FAIR – findable, interoperable, accessible, and reusable – which will make it possible to link studies and speed the translation of knowledge into practice. We need to more deeply connect environmental and human biomonitoring in the spirit of the One Health approach, rely on international cooperation and adherence to climate agreements, and at the same time communicate better with the public and introduce the topic to children early so that it becomes a natural part of health care.

DISCUSSION "Monitoring the environment and its impact on health"

What distinguishes environmental monitoring from biomonitoring

How it works in practice: Norway, Slovakia, and the pandemic experience

Technologies, data, and the future of "One Health"

Mária Dušinská

Erika Halašová

Sivakumar Murugadoss

Recommendation speakers

Kamil Šaško

Olivia Blanchard

Zsolt Bubori

Sivakumar Murugadoss

DISCUSSION "Monitoring the environment and its impact on health"

What distinguishes environmental monitoring from biomonitoring

How it works in practice: Norway, Slovakia, and the pandemic experience

Technologies, data, and the future of "One Health"

Mária Dušinská

Erika Halašová

Sivakumar Murugadoss

Recommendation speakers

Kamil Šaško

Olivia Blanchard

Zsolt Bubori

Sivakumar Murugadoss

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