Human biological monitoring and public health

Abstract

Environmental exposure to xenobiotic substances can be studied by analysis of biological media such as blood, urine, or exhaled air. Uptake from different sources and via different routes is integrated over time and can be reflected in concentrations of various types of biomarkers: The parent xenobiotic substance, a metabolite or the product of covalent binding to an endogenous macromolecule such as DNA or protein. The biological samples should be collected, pretreated, stored, and analyzed in a standardized manner. For interpretation of the biomarker levels, person characteristics, exposure patterns and the substance properties need to be taken into account. Such well-informed use of biomarkers is called human biological monitoring (HBM) and can be applied for different purposes: In occupational exposure surveys, exposure studies in the general population and unexpected exposures such as in chemical incidents. The aim of an HBM campaign should be introduced to the participants with care as some sample media require invasive collection methods. Less invasive methods such as urine and end-exhaled air should be considered if they produce equal results. For interpretation, models can be used to describe the kinetics of the biomarker of interest and estimate the target dose in one or more target tissues. For answering research questions, analysis on a group level is appropriate but the results should also be made available to individual study participants, upon request.