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Innovations made possible through chemistry have helped extend and improve the quality of human life, increasing the average lifespan in the U.S. by 30 years over the last century. Scientists have long understood that our bodies absorb substances from our environments. Today, because of recent technological advances of analytical chemistry, biomonitoring technology allows researchers to detect and measure extraordinarily low levels of natural and man-made substances in blood, urine, breast milk or other human fluids/tissue.
Biomonitoring is a promising public health tool that can help us better understand human exposure to a wide range of substances. As biomonitoring technology advances, more information is being made available to help public and private sector scientists, medical professionals and policy makers enhance public health, community well-being and worker health and safety.
Like all potentially useful tools, biomonitoring has limitations. Biomonitoring provides a snapshot of substances present in the body at a single point in time, but it alone does not tell us where a substance came from, when a person was exposed to it, the amount of exposure over time, or if there will be any health effects.
It is important to understand and use biomonitoring in context. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has emphasized: “Just because people have an environmental chemical in their blood or urine does not mean that the chemical causes disease. The toxicity of a chemical is related to its dose or concentration in addition to a person’s individual susceptibility. Small amounts may be of no health consequences, whereas larger amounts may cause adverse health effects.”
Trace levels of natural or man-made substances may enter our bodies through a variety of routes, including eating, breathing, drinking, and contact with our surroundings. They may also be generated internally through natural processes such as metabolism. Still, biomonitoring can help improve public health decisions when it’s part of an integrated strategy that not only identifies exposure to a substance but also assesses the potential health risk of that exposure.
Resources:
- Mixtures & Environmental Chemicals: A Perspective on Risk
- Biomonitoring Basics and Resources
- ACC Issue Brief on Biomonitoring
- ACC Issue Brief on Biomonitoring and Human Milk
- Key Points About Biomonitoring
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ACC on CDC’s Third National Exposure Report
Relevant Links:
- Learn more about biomonitoring.
- Learn more about chemistry’s contribution to human health.
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