Our work packages

WP1-1: Epidemiological analysis.

Research question: For whom, when and where does what combination of pollen concentrations, heat and poor air quality lead to what greatly increased health risks and disease burden?

WP1-2: Adaptability of young children. 

Research question: How do children ages 3 to 13 months adapt to heat? 

WP2-1: Effectiveness of cooling systems. 

Research question: What cooling systems can be used by at-risk groups to reduce heat stress and what is their effectiveness? 

WP2-2: Influence of ventilation on indoor pollen concentrations. 

Research question: How do different forms of ventilation affect indoor pollen concentrations? 

WP2-3: Tree density and pollen concentration. 

Research question: How does the density of allergen-pollen-producing trees affect pollen concentration in the immediate vicinity of the trees? 

WP2-4: Heat acclimatization through physical exertion. 

Research question: How does training condition affect heat acclimatization of people, especially the elderly and children? 

WP2-5: Factors influencing health protective behaviors. 

Research question: What factors influence healthy heat behaviors and how can this understanding help design and shape improved communications to promote healthy behaviors during heat waves?

WP3-1: Effectiveness of communication and dissemination.  

Research question: How is it currently communicated to high-risk groups about the prevention of allergies and heat-related health problems, what is the effectiveness of this communication, and what strategies can be employed to optimize it with the goal of reducing health risks and disease burden?  

WP3-2: Implement communication strategies for various audiences.  

Research question: How can current advice and measures regarding reducing health risks in heat, high pollen concentrations and poor air quality or a combination of these factors be adapted based on the new insights?

WP3-3: Adapt communication strategies of various target groups  

Research question: How should the current advice and measures related to reducing health risks in heat, high pollen concentrations and poor air quality or a combination of these factors be adapted based on the new insights and taking into account different levels of education?    

WP3-4: Inform green management and policy on low allergen tree planting  

Research question: What strategy works best to inform various stakeholders in green policy and management about the importance of low allergen tree planting?    

WP4-1: Scaling up pollen forecasting model to national level. 

Research question: How can the pilot of the spatial berk pollen expectation model for the Leiden/The Hague region (KAPPA project) be scaled up to national level and how can multiple pollen species be added?  

WP4-2: Operationalization real-time pollen monitor. 

Research question: How can the output of the real-time pollen monitor, to be purchased by RIVM/LUMC, best be presented to the public? 

WP4-3: Improve operational estimation of heat risk via heat force indicators 

Research question: What are the differences in outcome between the two heat standards (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and Predicted Heat Strain), and under what conditions (weather, effort, clothing, vulnerability) do these differences occur? What does this mean for KNMI's heat force indicator on the operational estimation of heat risk? 

WP5-1: Future pollen season and concentrations. 

Research question: Under the influence of different climate scenarios for the Netherlands, how will the timing of the start, peak and end of the pollen season change and with what pollen concentration of asemambrosia should we start to take into account. 

WP5-2: Future health risks. 

Research question: How will risks and disease burden due to heat, pollen and air quality change in space, time and intensity for different risk groups until 2050 based on the new KNMI climate scenarios and expected social development? 

This work package concerns the necessary actions to manage the project and share the results with the outside world. 

WP6-1: Coordination 

WP6-2: Communication and dissemination.