Human Biomonitoring Overview & Outlook

The Federal Environment Agency provides a comprehensive and compact overview of the methods and developments of human biomonitoring, a tool to measure the exposure of a human being to environmental pollutants. For this purpose, concentrations of pollutants or their metabolites in the blood or urine are determined. Water-soluble substances such as organic solvents, a range of pesticides, e.g. organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates, and numerous metals are usually detected in urine. Fat-soluble substances such as organochlorine pesticides and various industrial chemicals are determined in the blood. The importance of human biomonitoring in environmental and health policy is illustrated by the activities of the European Union and the USA. In addition, controversial opinions on human biomonitoring are presented.德国联邦环境署对人体生物监测（human biomonitoring）的方法与发展历程进行了全面且凝练的概述。人体生物监测是一种用于评估人体暴露于环境污染物水平的检测手段。该方案通过对血液或尿液中的污染物及其代谢物浓度进行定量检测来实现上述目标。水溶性物质通常可在尿液样本中检出，涵盖有机溶剂、多种农药（如有机磷类、拟除虫菊酯类及氨基甲酸酯类）以及多种金属元素；脂溶性物质则多通过血液样本完成检测，例如有机氯类农药及各类工业化学品。欧盟与美国的相关实践充分彰显了人体生物监测在环境与健康政策领域的重要价值。此外，该数据集还收录了针对人体生物监测的各类争议性观点。