Protecting environmental quality and human health: strategies for harmonisation.

In September 1999 the MRC Institute for Environment and Health hosted a multidisciplinary seminar on the harmonisation of strategies to protect environmental quality and human health. The objectives of the meeting were to share information about ways in which the protection of the environment and human health can be harmonised, and, by bringing together an audience representing a range of disciplines, interests and sectors, to explore how these may be integrated to inform policy, decision-making and the management of risks. Key conclusions from the seminar focused on the importance of sustainable development, harmonising risk assessment and the role of stakeholder involvement. The necessary move from an expert-based to a dialogue-based process will require concerted efforts on the part of scientists, policy-makers, regulators, industry and the public.