The National Environment-Health-Occupational Research Program (PNR EST), led by ANSES, supports research work to develop the scientific knowledge essential for risk assessment and health expertise in support of public policies.
To do this, the calls for projects launched each year cover all the environmental risk factors for human health in general or in the workplace. They also cover risks to ecosystems and the quality of environments. Thus, the funded projects make it possible to advance research and knowledge on these key issues by taking into account the emergence of new risks linked to the development of new technologies or to the evolution of our environment, such as climate change for example.
The first call for projects, with a generalist vocation, concerns the following areas in connection with the themes of health-environment and health-work:
- physical agents (noise nuisance, non-ionizing radiation, light pollution);
- nanomaterials and mineral fibres;
- cancer risks related to environmental and occupational exposures;
- exposure to plant protection products;
- chemical agents;
- endocrine disruptors;
- human and social science approaches to health and environmental risks;
- biological agents;
- emerging contaminations;
- waste;
- air quality;
- climate change ;
- vectors and vector control;
The second call for projects is dedicated to the theme “Radiofrequencies and health”, which is the subject of particular attention given the need to strengthen knowledge on this subject and to broaden the scientific community interested in it. This call for projects focuses on four themes:
- research into mechanisms of action of radiofrequencies at the cellular level;
- research into the physiological or health effects of radiofrequencies;
- electromagnetic hypersensitivity;
- characterization of exposures.
These projects are funded by ANSES from budgets delegated by the ministries responsible for the environment, agriculture and labour, and bring together several co-financiers: the Agency for the Environment and Energy (ADEME), the Multi-Organization Cancer Thematic Institute (ITMO Cancer) of the AVIESAN alliance within the framework of the Cancer Plan as well as the Ecophyto plan. A certain number of projects might also be financed within the framework of the support granted by the General Directorate for Food of the Ministry in charge of Agriculture on the theme of “vector control”.
