£5.5m for new unit to study impact of chemicals, air pollutants and noise

A newly created research unit – the Health Protection Research Unit in Chemical Threats and Hazards – has been set up to at the University of Leicester to investigate how we are affected by chemicals, air pollutants and noise in our everyday lives.

The unit has been backed by £5.5 million from National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and will be led by researchers from the University of Leicester’s Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability.

Professor Anna Hansell from the University of Leicester Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability.

This forms part of a larger, £80 million project overseen by NIHR which will see the creation of 12 other Health Protection Research Units, the purpose of which will be to protect the public from a variety of health threats, such as the chemical and air pollution hazards being studied at Leicester in addition to threats such as antimicrobial resistance, pandemics and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents. 

The HPRU in Chemical Threats and Hazards will look to strengthen existing UK systems to measure environmental exposures and understand how they affect the body. It will also look to develop new technologies to detect chemicals in emergency situations and investigate whether environmental exposures affect the living organisms found in lungs, gut and skin, that support good health.

Professor Anna Hansell, Director of the new HPRU, said: ‘Little is currently known about if or how the chemicals we are exposed to every day impact our health, this HPRU will build evidence to protect public health.

‘A vital part of the success of this HPRU will be the involvement of the public and patients, both of which helped shape the proposal, with concerns expressed about chemical exposure in the home, moulds, noise and air pollution. Our work will also consider people from a range of different social and cultural backgrounds to see if this affects being exposed and also if it increases risks to health.’

The unit’s remit is wide, they will be looking at the health impacts of many familiar chemicals such as pesticides, as well as metals such as lead, brake and tyre particles, and mould spores. 

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the NIHR, said: ‘In the 10 years since the Health Protection Research Units scheme first launched, the NIHR has delivered significant research to aid the government as it seeks to protect the public from heath threats. Working alongside the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), this new investment will build on this legacy and advance high quality research on key issues from climate change and antimicrobial resistance to future pandemics.’

Dr Carolina Arevalo, Deputy Director for Research, Evidence and Knowledge at the UK Health Security Agency, said: ‘It’s fantastic to see this investment in health protection science, supporting our ability to protect our communities from infectious diseases and the impact of chemical, radiological and other environmental health hazards. The Health Protection Research Units bring together expertise from academia and UKHSA to generate the evidence which enhances our ability to protect the public from health threats we are facing now and in the future.’