Objectives

The CHEF research projects focus on the health of children and adults in the Faroe Islands with emphasis on the impact of seafood diet and marine contaminants. The overall aim is to assess exposures to environmental chemicals at different life stages and to determine their possible adverse effects on growth and development. For more information click on “Objectives“.

Scientific approach

Since the first documentation in of increased exposures to methylmercury in 1985, five birth cohorts have been established for prospective studies. They now include more than 2,500 mother-child pairs. The Faroes constitute a prosperous fishing community where excess exposure to marine contaminants is widely prevalent because of the traditional habit of eating meat and blubber from the pilot whale. Due to accumulation of pollutants in marine food chains, the Faroese are therefore exposed to industrial contaminants from far-away sources and at levels that often exceed concentrations normally encountered elsewhere in Europe. The exposures to environmental chemicals are documented from chemical analysis of cord blood as well as blood samples obtained at later life stages. These exposures are then linked to development and organ functions at follow-up examinations. For more information click on “Scientific Approach“.

Publications  

This web site lists scientific publications and other releases of project results. Papers published since 2010 are listed under Recent Publications, and those published before that time under Previous Articles and Publications Links are provided to the journals in which the articles appeared. Sometimes copyright restrictions prevent downloading from journal web sites, and we then offer a PDF version of the manuscript. If you have difficulty obtaining a particular publication from these lists, you can request a copy here. This site also provides access to working papers and other materials, such as tables requested by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.