SP3 focuses on the application of the integrated assessment methods developed in SP1, for the analysis of different policy issues. Seven policy areas have been selected, representing issues that differ in terms of their type of policy (structural, sectoral etc), scale of effect (global, national, regional), source activities (industry, transport, agriculture etc), environmental agents (chemicals, noise, heat etc), exposure media (air, water) and settings (ambient, indoor etc). Full assessments of these policy issues will be undertaken in later phases of the project – initially as a ‘1 st pass’ assessment using the preliminary assessment methods; later as a 2nd pass assessment using methods refined and enhanced in the light of experience from the ‘1 st pass’.

In each case (i.e. for each policy issue), the objectives are:

• to build a conceptual model of the exposure sources and pathways and health effects, using the framework defined in SP1;
• based on this model, to develop an assessment strategy, including all the major sources, agents, pathways and effects;
• to specify a set of policy scenarios within which assessment will be carried out;
• to collect and collate the information and models/analytical tools necessary for this assessment;
• to carry out an assessment, using this methodology;
• to review the results of the assessment in order to identify ways of improving the assessment methodology;
• based on the results, to provide an assessment of the environmental health situation in the EU, and the possible implications of different policy options.