The German Environmental Survey for Children and Adolescents 2014-2017 (GerES V) - study population, response rates and representativeness.

The German Environmental Survey (GerES) is a population-representative, cross-sectional study on environmental exposures of the general population of Germany. GerES has repeatedly been conducted since 1985 by the German Environment Agency (UBA) in close collaboration with the Health Interview and Examination Surveys of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). In the German Environmental Survey for Children and adolescents 2014-2017 (GerES V) pollutants and other environmental stressors were measured in human samples as well as in the homes of 3- to 17-year-old children and adolescents. Interviews were conducted about health-related behaviors and living conditions. The GerES V basic program encompassed examinations of whole blood, blood plasma, morning urine and drinking water samples, measurements of ultrafine particles and noise levels, comprehensive standardized interviews, and self-administrated questionnaires. Additional modules on volatile organic compounds and aldehydes, particulate matter (PM_2.5) in indoor air, organic compounds in drinking water and pollutants in house dust were...