[Tobacco prevention at the regional level, Bavaria as an example]. / Tabakprävention auf Landesebene. Das Beispiel Bayern.

Tobacco consumption is one of the most relevant behavior-based health risks. It has been estimated that there are 14,000-18,000 tobacco-related deaths each year in Bavaria, Germany. Thus, efficient tobacco prevention, which involves measures of behavior-oriented as well as of condition-oriented prevention at the Federal State level, is a priority objective of prevention politics in Bavaria. Measures of behavior-oriented prevention account for the fact that tobacco prevention affects private lifestyles, where statutory provisions may not be effectual. However, smoking bans have achieved the creation of smoke-free living spaces especially for children and adolescents. In the long term, it is essential to enhance evaluation of tobacco prevention, to pay more attention to sustainability of approved projects, and to ensure a smoke-free environment for children and adolescents. The Bavarian health program "Gesund.Leben.Bayern." is an important platform for this.

[Environmental medicine consultation as a responsibility of Bavarian public health service]. / Umweltmedizinische Beratung als Aufgabe des öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (OGD) Bayerns.

Several working groups of the "Academy of Public Health in the Bavarian State Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Family, Women and Health" are asked to make suggestions for quality assurance in the fields of activity of the public health services. A first conception is now brought up for discussion by the "Working Group for Quality Assurance in Environmental Medicine". Necessarily, it is based on the actual legal status, but it is also influenced by the political discussion in Bavaria concerning a new organisation of the public health services and the possibility to denationalise functions. The conception is meant to be part of an inventory of the functions in environmental medicine. Some suggestions for quality assurance are made.

[Contribution to the discussion: development and prospects of public health service in Bavaria--example: environmental medicine]. / Diskussionsbeitrag zu: Entwicklung und Perspektiven des öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes Bayerns--Beispiel: Umweltmedizin.

Some aspects of development in modern public health services are described by the example of their function in the fields of environmental and social medicine and hygiene. New public management and quality management are important factors in this development. For some parts of the public health services a renewed structure in organisation seems to be necessary. To give quality assured and evidence based advice to policy, public health services need cooperation with scientific institutes and other partners in the field of public health, nowadays just because of reduced resources.

[Public health evaluation of (hazardous) substances in soil--concept of the AGU and Department of "Tolerable (Hazardous) Substance Concentrations in Soil" for metals]. / Gesundheitliche Bewertung von (Schad-)Stoffen im Boden--Konzept der AGU und Ableitung "Tolerabler (Schad-)Stoffkonzentrationen im Boden" (TSKB) für Metalle.

Up to now no uniform procedure and no generally accepted values exist for health evaluation of pollutants in soil. Aim of the working group for environmental hygiene (AGU) of the Bavarian Ministry of Labour and Social Order, Family, Women and Health is to propose health-based procedures and values for assessment, in consideration of existing concepts and regulations. Basis for health evaluation is the existence of appropriate soil investigations. This refers to the sampling scheme (sampling depth, sampling site and manner, number and representativity of samples) as well as sample preparation and analysis. The "still tolerable pollutant concentration in soil" (TSKB) is supposed to mark a threshold which separates a range of tolerable pollutant concentration from a range where soil-related measures are indicated. Basis for determination of a TSKB-value is the estimation of the average uptake of the respective substance via air, drinking water and food. From this the average level of a tolerable dosis without health risk by regular long-term uptake by humans is calculated. From the remaining portion of tolerable uptake the TSKB-value for the additional pathway of uptake by soil is derived. The estimations are representatively performed for 3-year old children, because small children are especially endangered by uptake of polluted soil. TSKB-values were determined by this procedure for the metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn and compared with assessment criteria and values of other working groups.