222b - Relevant information and challenges for human biomonitoring

Human biomonitoring (HBM) has proven to be a useful tool to perform risk assessment of chemicals. Nevertheless, certain criteria for a reliable HBM should be taken into account. Knowledge regarding the suitability of the chosen biological matrix, as well as the specificity and sensitivity of biomarkers is essential. For a specific HBM, the biomarker must not be formed from other substances with expected exposures. The sensitivity of the biomarker depends on the aim of the study with higher sensitivities needed for the investigation of background exposures in the general population, compared to verifying the adherence to health-based guidance values (e.g., in an occupational context). Furthermore, aspects of analytical ruggedness of the biomarkers need to be considered, such as susceptibility to pre-analytical contamination. To obtain valid HBM results, analytical methods for these biomarkers need to be sufficiently sensitive, selective, and rugged and need to be applied under quality-assured conditions. In this presentation, the choice of a reliable biomarker will be discussed using practical examples.