Manama: A conference to help identify solutions for important human health problems caused by environmental factors will be held in Qatar next month.

The Sixth International Conference on Environmental Mutagens in Human Populations (ICEMHP 2012), hosted by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development aims to develop local, regional and global cooperation in identifying the environmental causes of DNA damage and in finding solutions to their consequences to human health, organisers said.

ICEMHP 2012 will consider the local and regional aspects of genetic testing, risk assessment and policy-making to protect both human health and the environment.
A highlight of the conference, on March 26 – 29, will be the keynote speech by Dr Kirk R. Smith, Professor of Global Environmental Health and Director of the Global Health and Environment Programme at the School of Public Health at the University of California at Berkley.

One of the world’s foremost experts in this field of study, Smith is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honours awarded to US Scientists.
He also participated along with many other scientists in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) third and fourth assessments and shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice-President Al Gore. In 2009, he received the Heinz Prize in Environment.

Smith has devoted his career to understanding how environmental pollutants influence human health. He conducted much of his research in developing countries.
”I am excited for the opportunity to visit the Gulf Region and contribute to the ICEMHP in Qatar,” Smith said. “Many of the dominant health concerns in this region can be linked to environmental factors and this is why it is very important to work on the development of this field of study. This conference will certainly provide for an impulse in this direction and platform for cooperation among experts in understanding the relationship between environmental factors, DNA mutation, and human disease.”
Other speakers at the event include Professor Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand.