A multilingual website has just been launched to help citizens understand and reduce their daily exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) present in the environment. The website was created in the EU-funded NEMESIS project.
Found in everyday products such as food packaging, cosmetics, cleaning products, pesticides, textiles and even household dust, these chemicals remain poorly understood by the general public, despite growing scientific evidence regarding their possible impacts on health, including their potential contribution to obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Exposure is particularly concerning for vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant women.
Funded from the Horizon Europe Programme and coordinated by the University of Eastern Finland, the NEMESIS project investigates the role of environmental chemicals as disruptors of human metabolism. An online survey conducted within the project in several European countries highlights citizens’ concern about these chemicals. According to the results, 93% of participants consider it important to avoid exposure to endocrine disruptors, and 66% believe that the health problems associated with these substances may be very or extremely serious. Nevertheless, only 18% say they feel confident in their ability to avoid exposure, while 87% would like to receive more information on the topic.
The Coordinator of the NEMESIS project, Professor Jaana Rysä from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Eastern Finland says that the new website NEMESIS for You was created to address this need. “There is a clear need for accessible information that is applicable to everyday contexts and grounded in scientific evidence,” she adds.
Published on World Environment Day 5 June, and designed for the general public, healthcare professionals and patient organisations, the website provides clear and accessible information about EDCs, as well as practical tips to help reduce exposure in everyday life.
Hormones play a crucial role in regulating how our bodies function, including growth, metabolism, fertility, sleep, mood and the way we store and use energy. EDCs can interfere with these processes, potentially affecting health throughout life.
“The first years of life represent a particularly sensitive stage for human development. Exposure during critical periods may have important effects on future health,” says the Vice Coordinator of the NEMESIS project, University Researcher Jenni Küblbeck from the School of Pharmacy.
Certain endocrine disruptors are able to cross the placenta, meaning that exposure during pregnancy may affect not only the mother’s health, but also that of the unborn child.
Although it is impossible – even with regulation – to completely eliminate exposure to chemicals present in the environment, experts emphasise that small everyday choices may help reduce contact with some EDCs. Recommendations include choosing fresh and less packaged foods, regularly ventilating and vacuuming the house, reading product labels and selecting simpler alternatives with fewer ingredients and no perfumes, as well as recycling and properly disposing of waste and chemicals.
The NEMESIS project began in January 2024 and brings together 13 partners from 8 European countries, combining expertise in toxicology, medicine, biology, environmental sciences and public health. The NEMESIS for You website was developed by National School of Public Health of NOVA University Lisbon, with the support of international partners from across Europe, and is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Swedish and German.
On this World Environment Day, the project highlights an important message: protecting the environment also means protecting human health.
Follow the project on Instagram (@nemesisforyou.eu) for updates, new resources and practical information on environmental health and endocrine disrupting chemicals.
NEMESIS for You website www.nemesisforyou.eu
For further information, please contact:
Professor Jaana Rysä, https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/jaana.rysa/
University Researcher Jenni Küblbeck, https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/jenni.kublbeck/
