Biomonitoring in Greenland: human biomarkers of exposure and effects - a short review

Eva Cecilie Bonefeld-Jorgensen

qualifications: PhD

contribution: designed, director, head, only author

position: Director, associated professor

Denmark

Eva C. Bonefeld-Jørgensen (ECB-J)is the head of Cellular & Molecular Toxicology (CMT),and the Director for Centre of Arctic Environmental Medicine (CAM), School of Public Health, University of Aarhus. ECB-J has a formal education as a research leader from the Business School of Copenhagen. The CAM was established in 1992 and in 2001 founded as a formal research Centre and located at the School of Public Health, Aarhus University. The Centre is the organizational body for the scientific and administrative collaborators who undertake research and education together with related activities accordance with the aims of the centre. CAM has since 1994 participated in the circumpolar Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) focusing on Human health including monitoring and ex vivo toxicological effect biomarkers of exposure to endicrine disrupters e.g. environmental pollutants such as PCBs, dioxins, pesticides, phthalates etc.. Currently a geographically covered mother-child cohort is established in Greenland (ACCEPT) with ECB-J as the project coordinator. The CMT is a part of CAM. ECB-J has headed the research unit CMT for more than 15 year. The unit has high experiences in molecular/mechanistic cell toxicology with the main focus on EDCs and the cellular effects of environmental contaminants ex vivo (serum), genetic susceptibilities and in vitro model systems. Most CMT staffs have been in the unit for more than 8 years; CMT includes 1 assistant professor, 2 post docs, 1 PhD students, 1 research assistant (Yi Cao), 2 research students, and 1 technical research assistant. ECB-J has been the project coordinator for several studies and currently in addition to ACCEPT also for 1) the international research team on the epidemiological / mechanistic study on Breast cancer in Greenland; 2) the epidemiological-mechanistic study on Greenlandic cross-district ex vivo determinations of hormone- and dioxin-like effects of environmental contaminants; 3) the cross-professional research on hormone-like bioeffects of currently used pesticides in DK in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo, 4) PFC trend analyses in humans in Greenland; 3).