Conference on "Metals in Eastern and Central Europe: health effects, sources of contamination and methods of remediation", Prague, Czech Republic, 8-10 November 2000. Keynote address.

The countries of Eastern and Central Europe have emerged from a political system which, for decades, has disregarded any safeguards to human health from the deleterious effects of hazardous substances. Rapid industrialization without any bona fide environmental regulatory controls has placed enormous stress on these countries. The societal and economic costs associated with human health effects, environmental issues, and the cleaning up of contaminants while simultaneously trying to correct their economies have had severe impact on the countries in this region, forcing them to set and reset priorities with inadequate resources to meet the expectations of the population. Nonetheless, each country is doing a valiant job of trying to be self-sufficient, while preserving its own unique identity, so as to try to ensure future generations a higher standard of living and improved quality of life. Metals are serious contaminants the world over, but this is particularly and acutely true in Eastern and Central Europe. Because metals are natural elements, once released they persist in the environment. Their persistence coupled with their ability to combine with organic chemicals and with each other, makes them particularly detrimental to human health. Metals are but one of the many challenges to the countries in the region. Although there is little doubt that metal contamination is a serious problem, there are barriers to determining the degree of the threat to humans. Furthermore, environmental contamination by metals is by no means the only or perhaps even the most serious threat to human health, but it certainly is a key contributing factor to ill health and diminution of the quality of life. The problem of metals is endemic across the region, but the type and sources of the contamination vary from