Essential biomonitoring

Angerer, Jurgen K., Essential Biomonitoring Methods from the MAK Collection for Occupational Health and... 

Exposure of humans to perchlorate via foodstuffs and drinking water has been documented [241]. Urine, breast milk, amniotic fluid, saliva, and blood have been used as matrices in biomonitoring of human exposures to perchlorate [233, 242-253] (Table 10). Assessment of human exposures to perchlorate is important, since this compound blocks iodine uptake in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) essential for neurodevelopment [260]. 

Communicating biomonitoring results may be the most vexing challenge to the field of biomonitoring. Communication is essential to proper... 

Exposure, Intake, and Effects of Toxic and Essential Elements Assessment of steroid hormone disruption in placenta as indicator tissue for monitoring fetal and maternal environment. Biomonitoring of metals is included with evaluation of dietary metal intake (European Commission 2004). 

Despite the extensive experience with biomedical ethics, the infrastructure of institutional review boards (IRBs), and the equivalent for protection of human subjects (Schulte et al. 1997 but see Soskolne 1997), it is essential to address questions of ethics that may be particular to the design of biomonitoring studies. In this section, the committee considers some practical and research issues in biomonitoring ethics but makes no pretense that the list is exhaustive. Ethical issues can stop specific studies, and the field in general, dead in their tracks. Therefore, it is incumbent on investigators, policy-makers, and others to consider these issues carefully. 

Incorporating communication into project planning and design is not difficult, futile, or irrelevant to biomonitoring but is an essential element. Careful attention to effective communication at the beginning of a biomonitoring study will pay off with much easier communication at the end and may even make the technical side of the project more effective. 

It is essential to develop and use noninvasive and ultrasensitive specimen-collection techniques for the biomonitoring of children and other groups that can provide only small samples. 

Communication is essential for proper interpretation and use of biomonitoring data. Earlier in this report, we emphasized the intricate and mutual involvement of analysis, management, and communication of environmental biomonitoring (Chapter 1) the contentious social and political context with diverse constituencies for biomonitoring information and the need to incorporate communication-evaluation planning, consideration of... 

Monaci et al. (1997) performed a lichen-biomonitoring study in Siena by means of two different methods. The pattern of air quality in the study area was examined on the basis of the in situ frequency of different species of epiphytic lichens, i.e. using their species-specific sensitivity to the complex mixture of phytotoxic pollutants in the urban environment. The distribution of trace elements was evaluated quantitatively by an analysis of thalli of a tolerant species, P. caperata, known to be a reliable bioaccumulator of persistent atmospheric pollutants. The values obtained for Al, Ba, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb and S were significantly higher in Sienese lichens over and above controls. Traffic was found to be the major source of atmospheric pollution. The pattern of trace-elemental deposition did not always coincide with air quality. lAP values were found to reflect essentially the emission of gaseous phytotoxic pollutants in the urban environment. 

A first step is the formulation and examination of essential biological preconditions or premises of the method (Hagemeyer, 1993, 1997). For a successful application of radial element distributions for retrospective biomonitoring, the following preconditions should be valid (Hagemeyer, 1993, 1997) ... 

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