2. OBJECTIVES AND FOCUS OF THE MONITORING SYSTEM
|
The aim of the Monitoring System is to provide high quality background
data for decision making by the national and local authorities in the fields
of health care policy, health risks management and control, and environmental
protection. These data will be relied upon in the specification of legislative measures,
establishment and adjustment of pollutant limits and informing the interested
public. The major objectives of the Monitoring System are to study and to
assess time series of the selected indicators of each environmental medium
quality and population health status and to assess levels of population
exposure to pollutants and subsequent health effects and risks. These comprehensive data
also represent an information source for other countries in terms of the
Czech population health status and risks from environmental pollution in
the Czech Republic.
The results obtained for the monitored localities in individual periods
are crucial in creating time series of data on health and environmental pollution.
Systematic assessment of the resulting data series is relevant to the identification
of long-term or seasonal trends as a background for possible recommendations
and proposals of measures to be taken.
The Monitoring System is consistent with the general principles of any
monitoring. This means that:
-
the milestones to be reached are set;
-
the monitoring is comprehensive, multi-component and integrated;
-
the monitoring is designed to study the defined indicators in the defined
areas in a long-term manner;
-
the available funds are used purposefully and the existing facilities
are exploited adequately;
-
the data collected are systematically checked for quality;
-
the results obtained are interpreted only after an expert audit;
-
the monitoring is consistent with international agreements and recommendations.
In 2004, the Monitoring System involved the following eight subsystems (projects):
-
Health effects and risks related to air pollution (Subsystem I);
-
Health effects and risks related to drinking water pollution (Subsystem II);
-
Health effects of and annoyance from noise (Subsystem III);
-
Health effects of and risks from dietary exposure to contaminants (Subsystem IV);
-
Health effects of exposure to toxic pollutants from the environment, biological
monitoring (Subsystem V);
-
Health status and selected parameters of demographic and health statistics
(Subsystem VI);
-
Health effects and risks related to the occupational environment (Subsystem VII);
-
Health risks related to contamination of urban soil (Subsystem VIII).
With the progressive development of the Monitoring System, so-called specialized
studies were designed in agreement with Resolution No. 369/1991 of the Government
of the Czech Republic. These studies extend the existing monitoring results
and deal with issues lying beyond the framework of the basic tasks of the
Monitoring System; their solution is necessary for the monitoring activities to
continue. The results are being published in the form of either monitoring
reports or scientific papers.