Welcome
Welcome to the National Institute for Health and Care Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Environmental Exposures and Health at Imperial College London.
This HPRU is a partnership between Imperial College London and the UK Health Security Agency, in collaboration with King’s College London and the MRC Toxicology Unit, Cambridge.
We have strong links with the Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards HPRU and the MRC Centre for Environment and Health and to ensure we operate as a highly collaborative matrix, analogous to the UK Health Security Agency’s multi-functional, single-agency model, we have created a Joint Steering Committee, Training Programme Committee, Public and Community Involvement, Engagement and Participation Committee and Public and Community Oversight Group.
This HPRU brings together our expertise in air quality measurement and modelling, exposure assessment, conducting large-scale epidemiological studies, biomarkers and disease mechanisms and chemical toxicology of fibres and particles to produce the scientific evidence needed to support the effective protection of the population from these environmental hazards.
Mission
The mission of this HPRU is to undertake the highest quality research on the health effects associated with exposure to a range of environmental pollutants, including those in the ambient and indoor settings. Our aims are to improve the understanding of the distribution, determinants and pathways linking these exposures to health effects, to provide scientific evidence that will impact directly on public health practice and policy, and to train the next generation of research leaders in environment and health.
Research
The research programme is organised into four complementary themes focusing on furthering understanding of the risk of ambient and indoor air pollutants on health, by examining a range of adverse endpoints in specific population subgroups (e.g. adverse birth outcomes and cognitive function in school children) and in specific locations (indoor, homes and offices, transport micro-environments including the London Underground).
In addition, we will look at emerging exposure issues including e-cigarettes, microplastics, illicit and herbal drug use and brake and tyre wear toxicology.
Theme I - Challenges
1. What are the exposures to toxicants from all environmental sources and consumer products in different populations?
2. Can models be developed to predict exposure?
3. What is the public perception of risk from these toxicants and how are potential risks best communicated?
Theme III - Challenges
1. What biomarkers emerge following acute exposure to different air pollutants and do they discriminate between different sources?
2. Are non-exhaust PM emissions (brake, tyre and road wear) of toxicological relevance and what are the relative toxicities of exhaust PM and NO2?
3. What are the relative toxicities of e-cigarette components?
Theme II - Challenges
1. What are the impacts of air pollution on birth outcomes, cognitive development, mental health and dementia in later life ?
2. What are the impacts of traffic related air pollution on school children’s neurodevelopment and overall health and to what extent does the ULEZ mitigate against any adverse effects ?
3. What, if any, is the impact of air pollution on the London Underground?
Theme IV - Challenges
1. Do microplastics have detrimental human health effects?
2. What are the potential health consequences of waste fires on local populations?
3. What are the health impacts of living near biomass electricity generating installations or being exposed to waste fire emissions?
Latest News
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Professor Frank Kelly, Imperial College London, Receives 2019 Toxicology Award
Posted on November 12, 2021Continue readingThe Awards Committee of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) Environment, Sustainability & Energy Division selected Professor Frank Kelly to receive the 2019 Toxicology Award. The medal was awarded for outstanding research into free radical and antioxidant toxicological mechanisms relevant to pulmonary toxicity. Due to the pandemic however Professor Kelly’s UK lecture tour was cut […]
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MRC Seminar Series -14 October at 12.00 midday “Purer air for optimal health, by accident or design”
Posted on October 12, 2021Continue reading“Purer air for optimal health, by accident or design” REGISTER NOW The MRC Seminar Series continues on 14th October with a talk from Dr Ian Mudway, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Toxicology within the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College London. As COP26 approaches at the end of October and representatives from around the globe gather in Glasgow to agree on policies to ensure global net zero emissions, Dr Ian Mudway will join us to give us insights […]
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2021 Toxicology Award Seminar featuring Professor Frank Kelly – 10 November 2021
Posted on October 12, 2021Continue readingThe RSC Toxicology Award seminar is taking place 10 November 2021 at 14:50pm BST. This free to attend event is supported by the RSC Toxicology group and will feature Professor Frank Kelly and a number of his colleagues. Professor Kelly received the 2019 RSC Toxicology Award for researching free radical/antioxidant toxicological mechanisms relevant to pulmonary […]
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2021 Update to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs)
Posted on September 24, 2021Continue readingThe 2021 update to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) is the culmination of years of intensive research and deliberations with experts across the globe, including 6 staff from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. Francesco Forastiere and Michał Krzyżanowski (members of the guidelines development group) and Dimitris […]
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Air pollution linked to greater risk of Covid-19 hospital admission – study
Posted on September 9, 2021Continue reading“Exposure to air pollution linked to greater risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation, report finds” Independent – “A person’s previous exposure to air pollution may mean they are more likely to need hospital treatment if they catch Covid-19, a new report has found. Researchers from Imperial College London have found a link between people’s exposure to polluted […]
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