Human Biomonitoring for Europe (HBM4EU)—first insights into the results of the initiative

Abstract

Human biomonitoring measures the internal exposure of humans to chemicals from various sources, such as food, everyday objects, or the air we breathe, by analyzing blood and urine, for example. To promote and coordinate human biomonitoring in Europe, the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) was launched in 2017 and involves 30 countries, the European Environment Agency, and the European Commission. The project was completed in June 2022. Comparable and reliable exposure data were collected and consistently assessed for a wide range of environmental chemicals. Other important achievements of the initiative were the establishment of a quality assurance program, a concept for standardizing future HBM studies, a common strategy for deriving health-based guidance values (HBM-GVs), and the establishment of national committees in the partner countries. The exposure data generated are accessible via the Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring (IPCHEM) and the EU HBM Dashboard. Publications are freely available through the HBM4EU online library. Overall, the results show that exposures of the EU population to many chemicals are too high, such as phthalates and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), and that policy action is still needed. The knowledge generated in the HBM4EU project can support policymakers in improving chemical, environment, and health policies.