Exposure and stress in the working-age population – Exposome Project for Health and Occupational Research – EPHOR

Objectives
The aim of the exposome concept is to describe the share of all the exposure agents and stress factors that affect us in our living environment throughout our lives. In this project, we use the concept to illustrate the connection between the environment and diseases. We determine the factors included in the exposome during a person’s working-age life. It includes work-related exposure agents and stress factors, but also lifestyle and behavioural factors.
News
EuroJEM will be launched on 11.3.2025 klo 16-18 (15-17 CET)
EuroJEM is a tool designed for conducting occupational exposure assessments in large populations where individual exposure data is unavailable.
Additional information
EPHOR-PEROSH Workshops were organized on 30 and 31 October 2024
As part of the EPHOR’s WeExpose toolbox, we are developing methods to enhance health impact assessment (HIA). These two workshops presented some of these methods, discussed their integration into HIA, and seeked stakeholder input on development of them.
Workshop 1: Work Life Expectancy (WLE) on 30 October at 12 (Helsinki time)
In this workshop we will present population level metrics WLE, working years lost and healthy WLE, overview factors influencing on it and discuss how these measures could be incorporated into a Health Impact Assessment (HIA).
Workshop 2: Multiple Exposure Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on 31 October 2024 at 12 (Helsinki time)
In the workshop we will present and discuss a case study examining the impact of incorporating these concepts into an HIA, and the role interventions can have on health outcomes.
Additional information
PEROSH News
EPHOR website news on EPHOR-PEROSH workshops
Data and methods
Researchers from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health will be involved in the project, particularly in harmonizing the evaluation of the information contained in large exposure databases and in establishing a new database linking this information. In the future, new research data can also be added to this new EPHOR database.
Results and impact
Determining the exposome during a person’s working-age life is a major step in occupational health research. The exposome makes it easier to understand the link between different work-related exposures and stress factors and diseases at different stages of life.
The EPHOR project will create methods and tools to characterize and utilize the exposome during a person’s working-age life in science, decision-making and practical occupational health care. This will, among other things, reduce the burden on European health care systems caused by national diseases while improving citizens' health, well-being and productivity at work. All this will also improve the competitiveness of EU industry.
Our experts

Svetlana Solovieva
Project group
Sanni Uuksulainen, Milja Koponen, Taina Leinonen, Eira Viikari-Juntura
Partners
The project involves 19 partners from 12 EU countries. The co-ordinator is TNO from the Netherlands.
Funding
The project is funded by EU Horizon 2020 , grant no. 874703.
See also