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Research Managing Director

Area on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
In order to precisely understand and evaluate the various environmental factors introduced by social and technological change that have impacts on public health; and in order to take appropriate measures, the Area on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment is conducting the comprehensive surveys and research outlined below regarding physical factors like radiation; chemical factors like contaminants; physiological and medical impacts of those factors; hygiene in the urban/living environment; etc.
• Surveys and research on health impacts of physical factors in the living environment (ionizing radiation, electromagnetic fi elds, ultraviolet, etc.), and on methods of protection against them
• Mechanism of generation of harmful chemical substances and aerosols in the living environment; assessment of their health impacts (e.g., comprehensive evaluation of genetic impacts); development of highly sensitive and accurate measurement methods; development of methods to assess the extent of human exposure
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment • Health risk assessments of physical and chemical factors in the living environment; appropriate management of a sanitary environment
• Developing methods to measure smoke from cigarettes; participation in the WHO Tobacco Laboratory Network; creating methods to measure smoking behavior and markers for exposure in biospecimens; health risk assessments from survey/research results
• Comprehensive examination of safety measures to maintain a sanitary environment by improving hygiene in the urban/living environment
• Examining impacts on the human body of life styles and of exposure to chemical substances in the environment (taking account of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors), including: (1) establishing a community-based cohort study fi eld that will estimate the incidence of lifestyle-related diseases; (2) life styles of pregnant women; (3) impacts on future generations of exposure to chemical substances, taking genetic factors into account.