Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Kristine Bjerve Gutzkow, Birgitte Lindeman, Trygve Danielsen

An overview

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Division of Environmental medicine

Department of Chemicals and Radiation

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH in Oslo and Bergen)

More than 1000 employees

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Aims of the NIPH

• Provide evidence based advice to the government and to the public at large

• Prevention of disease through– Health surveillance– Research– Advice and services

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Main areas

– Infectious disease control

– Environmental medicine

– Epidemiology of non-communicable diseases

– Mental health

– Forensic medicine and drug abuse research

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Environmental Medicine

We provide expert knowledge of environmental medicine:

– prevent disease and health injuries caused by environmental toxicants and other hazardous factors in the environment

– perform research and surveillance on environmental factors

– food and water safety, research on air pollution, noise pollution. Close collaboration with other relevant institutes and authorities

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Department of Chemicals and Radiation (MIKS)

• Experience in regulation of chemicals (at National and European levels)

• Identification of chemicals posing threats to humans and/or the environment

• Persistent chemicals

• Vision: No use of potentially harmful chemicals

• Classification and labelling of chemicals and products

Our research interest

• Chemical and radiation threats to fertility and offspringWe are active in research on agents and mechanisms relevant for:

–Genotoxicity and mutagenicity

–Reprotoxicity – male fertility and offspring health

–Neurodevelopment

–Implications of the exposome – cocktail effect

Close collaboration with our Directorate for the Environment (MDir)

Norway is not a full member of EU! However, as an associate member we have adopted most of EU’s regulations of chemicals•Pesticides•REACH•Biocide Directive

Safe use of chemicals – public health issues

• Population studies: – Used to monitor possible health problems when they

have occurred– Associations are found, but the existence of

causation is most often not known

• Experimental studies (in vivo and in vitro)– Provide mechanistic information– Essential for testing new substances, new products,

or new treatments (drugs)

Thank you!