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Environmental Risks

We investigate the short- and long-term adverse and beneficial health impacts of environmental factors, such as air pollution, meteorology, climate change, noise and green spaces in urban areas with a focus on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in adults.

We investigate the short- and long-term adverse and beneficial health impacts of environmental factors, such as air pollution, meteorology, climate change, noise and green spaces in urban areas with a focus on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in adults.

About our Research

We investigate the acute (short-) and chronic (long-term) adverse health impacts of environmental factors, such as air pollution, meteorology, climate change, noise and green spaces in urban areas. In terms of outcomes, our focus is on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in adults as well as their mental health. Particularly, our work aims to provide new evidence for the following research questions: What is the interplay between different kinds of environmental factors, for example meteorological factors and air pollution? Which exposure-response functions best reflect the true association and are there any threshold values? What are the underlying mechanisms behind the worldwide observed environmental health effects? Which subclinical phenotypes can be detected that point to certain pathways? Which population subgroups are especially susceptible (e.g. elderly, children, chronically sick) and are there in particular differences with regard to sex and gender?

People at Environmental Risks

Dr. Alexandra Schneider

Deputy Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Head of Research Group 'Environmental Risks', Senior Scientist View profile
Porträt Kathrin Wolf

Dr. Kathrin Wolf

Senior Scientist; Deputy Head of Research Group 'Environmental Risks' View profile
Porträt Susanne Breitner

Dr. Susanne Breitner-Busch (née Breitner)

Senior Scientist View profile
Porträt Sarah Wagner

Sarah Wagner

PhD Student
Porträt Maximilian Schwarz

Maximilian Schwarz

PhD Student
Porträt Ute Kraus

Dr. Ute Kraus

Senior Scientist

Margarethe Woeckel

MD Student
Porträt Minqi Liao

Min-qi Liao

PhD Student
Porträt Nikolaos Nikolaou

Nikolaos Nikolaou

PhD Student
Porträt Anne Marb

Anne Marb

PhD Student
Porträt Hanna Feldbusch

Hanna Feldbusch

PhD Student
Porträt Marco Dallavalle

Dr. Marco Dallavalle

Data Manager
Porträt Cheng He, Hintergrundfarbe: türkis

Dr. Cheng He

Postdoc

Yueli Yao

PhD Student
Porträt Uta Geruchkat

Uta Geruschkat

Data Manager
Porträt Sandra Claire Slesinski

Claire Slesinski

Scientist
Porträt Yujiao Li

Yujiao Li

PhD Student

Dr. Eva-Franziska Matthies-Wiesler

Senior Scientist
Porträt Hitha Ramakrishnan

Hitha Krishna Chirakundil Ramakrishnan

Data Manager

Our Projects

Health Effects of Air Pollution | Virus Infections

Funded by DFG | 2021-2024

Influence of air quality on the expected burden on the health care system in the event of pandemics

 

Health Effects of Air Pollution & Weather and Climate

MCC Collaborative Research Network

A multi-country multi-city collaboration on a program of research on associations between environmental stressors, climate, and health

Health Effects of Air Pollution & Weather and Climate

Funded by BMBF | 2023-2028

IMPAC2T

Impact of air pollution and rising temperatures on human health and vegetation

Health Effects of Air Pollution | Virus Infections

Funded by DFG | 2021-2024

CovGenAir

The role of chronic diseases, environmental and genetic influences on the infection with SARS-CoV-2: boosters, effect modifiers or mediators?

Health Effects of Air Pollution | Virus Infections

Funded by Health Effects Institute | 2021-2023

AIR-LOCK

Effect of air pollution reductions on mortality during the COVID-19 lockdown: A natural experiment study

 

Health Effects of Air Pollution

Funded by STMUV | 2020-2023 

UFP@NAKOBayern

Long-term exposure to ultrafine particles and health effects in Bavarian centers of the NAKO study

Health Effects of Air Pollution

Funded by DFG | 2019-2023

RADIOMICS

Patterns of White Matter Lesions in the Brain: Impact of Air Pollution on the Variability of Lifetime Trajectories

Health Effects of Air Pollution

Funded by Health Effects Institute | 2016-2021

ELAPSE

Effects of Low-Level Air Pollution: a Study in Europe

Project - Collaborations with US EPA

Health Effects of Weather and Climate

Funded by EU | 2021-2025

ATTACH

ATTributing heAt-related excess mortality and morbidity to Climate cHange

Health Effects of Weather and Climate

Funded by EU | 2019-2023

EXHAUSTION

Exposure to heat and air pollution in Europe – cardiopulmonary impacts and benefits of mitigation and adaptation

Health Effects of Weather and Climate 

Funded by Helmholtz Associations INF | 2019-2021

HI-CAM

Helmholtz-Initiative Climate Adaptation and Mitigation: two Sides of the same Coin

Health Effects of Weather and Climate 

Funded by BMBF | 2023-2024

PHONIC

Public Health Operations for Climate Change Action – Development of a framework to identify priority operations

Health Effects of Weather and Climate 

Funded by UBA | 2022-2024

Social dimensions of climate change impacts and development of policy instruments

 

Health Effects of Environmental Noise

Funded by Helmholtz Associations INF | 2021-2022

Noise2NAKO(AI)

AI Methods linking Environment and Health - a large-scale cohort application

Virus Infections

Funded by ECF | 2020-2021

Impact of environmental factors on viruses/ virus infections - a systematic review

Crosstopic Projects

Funded by Helmholtz Associations INF | 2021-2023

MetaMap3

Metadata generation, enrichment and linkage across the three domains health, environment and earth observation

Crosstopic Projects

Funded by BMBF | 2017-2021

INGER

Integrating gender into environmental health research: Building a sound evidence basis for gender-sensitive prevention and environmental health

Highlight Publications

See all

Contact Head

Dr. Alexandra Schneider

Deputy Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Head of Research Group 'Environmental Risks', Senior Scientist

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Contact Deputy Head

Porträt Kathrin Wolf

Dr. Kathrin Wolf

Senior Scientist; Deputy Head of Research Group 'Environmental Risks'

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