Biomonitoring 1: BHM-Wal project 1.
At the end of July 2020, the recruitment of Walloon volunteers was completed slightly behind the initial schedule following the health crisis.
864 Walloons took part in the BMH-Wal 1 project: 285 newborns, 283 young people aged 12 to 19, 261 adults aged 20 to 39.
23 substances were tested in blood and cord blood (newborns), 36 substances in urine.
The main objective of the BMH-Wal program is to establish the very first reference data on the exposure of Walloons to these substances.
The collective results of BMH-Wal 1 will be presented in autumn 2021. Beforehand, each participant will receive his or her personal results.
Biomonitoring 2: BMH-Wal 2 project.
As with BMH-Wal 1, three age categories were initially targeted: Children 3-5 years and 6-11 years & Adults 40-59 years. However, due to the health crisis and compulsory teleworking in companies, adult recruitment was not possible.
Children were recruited from mid-December 2020 to early June 2021. 301 children aged 3-5 and 304 children aged 6-11 from the 5 Walloon provinces took part in the project, providing a urine sample. Each parent also completed a questionnaire on diet, home environment, leisure activities and so on. Analyses of these numerous samples are currently underway.
To find out more about the project: https: //www.issep.be/biomonitoring/