While the availability of human biomonitoring data for many chemicals can greatly reduce the uncertainty associated with the use of external exposure estimates in risk assessment, experience and guidance are needed to integrate the use of biomonitoring data into the risk assessment process.  Depending on the intended use, biomonitoring, like all exposure tools, may not be a stand-alone exposure assessment tool for some of its environmental public health uses.  While biomonitoring data demonstrate that many environmental chemicals are absorbed in human tissues, uncertainty exists regarding if and at what concentrations many of these chemicals cause adverse health outcomes.  Moreover, without exposure pathway information, it is difficult to relate biomonitoring results to sources and routes of exposure and develop effective health risk management strategies.  Meaningful interpretation of existing and future biomonitoring data will require rigorous, scientific approaches to data collection, analysis, interpretation, and application.  Investigators must define and communicate the question to be addressed in any given biomonitoring study.  Filling critical data gaps is essential to reduce uncertainties in interpretation and provide the most reliable data for public health decisions. 

MISSION

The mission of the Technical Committee on Integration of Biomonitoring Exposure Data into the Risk Assessment Process (“the Biomonitoring Technical Committee”) is twofold:  1) to delineate the appropriate scientific use(s) of biomonitoring tools and/or biomonitoring data needed to characterize exposure to chemicals, and 2) to explore mechanisms for integrating biomonitoring data and toxicology data into a robust risk assessment process.

For more information on the Technical Committee’s membership, goals, and activities, click here.

Files

To download an English version of the Biomonitoring Technical Committee Fact Sheet, click here.