The German Environmental Survey 1990/1992 (GerES II): a representative population study

The German Environmental Survey (GerES) is a large-scale population study w hich has repeatedly been carried out in Germany. GerES I was conducted in 1 985/1986 followed by GerES IIa in 1990/1991 (West Germany) and GerES IIb in 1991/1992 (East Germany). GerES III is currently run in both parts of Germ any. The main goal of the surveys is to analyse and document the extent, di stribution and determinants of the exposure to environmental pollutants of the German general population. Field work is conducted using a combination of several tools, including questionnaires, interviews, human biomonitoring , and indoor and outdoor environmental samplings. This paper describes the design of GerES II, and gives a general outline of the field work and the a nalytical procedures used. In GerES Il, about 4000 adults were representati vely selected from the German population with regard to age, gender and com munity size. Approximately 700 children were also included. Arsenic, cadmiu m, copper, chromium, lead, and mercury were determined in blood, morning ur ine and/or scalp hair. In addition, samples were taken and analysed to char acterise exposure in the domestic environment (indoor air, house dust, drin king water). The contribution to exposure of food was also studied. Exposur e to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was determined by personal sampling.