In Switzerland, there are several studies that include human biomonitoring. However, these do not yet provide data representative of Switzerland, so a national study is being considered. Now the first results are available
of the pilot study.
In May 2017, the Federal Council commissioned the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) to conduct a pilot study to investigate the feasibility of a long-term study representative of the Swiss population with healthy participants. This pilot study was designed, respectively conducted, in collaboration with the Swiss Biobanking Platform (SBP), Unisanté, the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) of the University of Bern and the Swiss Tropical Institute (SwissTPH). In this study, human biomonitoring (HBM) was performed in 789 healthy adults (20-69 years old) residing in the cantons of Bern or Vaud. Various substances were measured in the blood and urine of the participants. The substances were selected on the basis of various criteria. Public interest, health relevance, and methodological considerations were taken into account. These are the metals lead and mercury and other elements, selected per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) and the pesticide glyphosate.
Metals introduced into the environment have undesirable health effects depending on the level of exposure. Lead damages the nervous system especially in human development. Elemental mercury affects the central nervous system and kidneys. However, the more toxicologically relevant form is the organic compound methylmercury, which, like lead, damages the nervous system during human development. Public exposure to lead and mercury occurs primarily through food consumption. For the pilot study, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and 23 other chemical elements (including arsenic [As] and cadmium [Cd]) were analyzed. For mercury, the levels measured in the Swiss pilot cantons are considered to be of little concern.
The exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is relevant from a health point of view, as the health-relevant threshold value for PFOS was exceeded for 3.6% of the participants. This substance from the PFAS family was banned in Switzerland more than ten years ago – apart from a few exceptions – but can still be found in the environment and in the human body due to its long life and high mobility.
Glyphosate is a commonly used pesticide that is rapidly broken down in the human body and excreted in the urine. According to EFSA’s risk assessment, glyphosate is of low acute toxicity, non-genotoxic and non-carcinogenic. In contrast, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) rated glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” According to UBA (2023), these differences are partly due to different assessment bases. The re-evaluation of the active ingredient is currently underway at the European level. Consumer exposure occurs primarily through foods such as legumes, pasta, and breakfast cereals. Overall, glyphosate was measured in quantifiable concentrations in only 19%.
Source: Pilot phase of the Swiss Health Study. Human Biomonitoring (HBM) Results. Available at: www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home.html (last accessed on 31.08.2023)
InFo ONCOLOGY & HEMATOLOGY 2023, 11(4): 42.
