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biomonitoring

ACC supports science-based biomonitoring programs and the responsible and appropriate use of biomonitoring information in assessing risk, informing public policy and in communications to the public.

Contact: Tiffany Harrington
Phone: 703-741-5583

This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue their research to evaluate potential exposures of the U.S. population to environmental chemicals.  CDC has expanded the number of substances measured in participants for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to 275.  These efforts by CDC represent an important contribution to the emerging field of human biomonitoring.  The CDC has published three biennial National Reports on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals and development by the Agency of the Fourth Report is underway.  Because the number of substances measured by CDC has expanded so greatly over the last few years, CDC will now release the data for priority substances as soon as possible after the chemical measurements for that group are completed. Subsequently, data from all substances will be aggregated by CDC and published as the Fourth Report. 

These CDC reports provide a snapshot of the U.S. population’s exposure to certain substances in our environment, from naturally occurring compounds and food nutrients to the products and processes of modern life. This type of data can be very useful in understanding the extent to which people have been exposed to particular substances and providing guidance for additional research into the relationship between environmental substances and the human body.

Scientists long have understood that our bodies can absorb substances present in our environments. Also, as the CDC cautions, the mere detection of a chemical does not necessarily indicate a risk to health. Thus, the information in CDC’s reports should not be cause for undue concern.  Rather it should be viewed as improving our understanding of exposure and – with more information – how the human body interacts with the environment.

In July 2006, the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) published the results of their comprehensive study of biomonitoring.  The Committee expressed their view that,  “In spite of its potential, tremendous challenges surround the use of biomonitoring, and our ability to generate biomonitoring data has exceeded our ability to interpret what the data mean to public health”. The report provides a path forward for addressing the scientific, ethical and communication challenges in interpreting and communicating biomonitoring results.  For an abridged summary of the NAS Committee’s report see www.biomonitoringinfo.org

There have been several recent self-published announcements by interest groups on human biomonitoring, typically summarizing lab results for a limited number of individuals. Dr. Elizabeth Anderson has recently written a perspective on such studies which emphasizes how limited such surveys really are in terms of yielding scientific interpretations and meaningful conclusions. 

The business of chemistry fully supports the CDC’s biomonitoring effort. It also is actively engaged in expanding its own knowledge base on chemical exposure, spending millions of dollars annually on related research and employing highly qualified scientists to do the work.

While more research is being done, a strong safety net remains in place, as chemical products are stringently governed by a network of regulatory safeguards involving more than a dozen federal and state laws.

In addition, America’s chemical makers have taken voluntary steps to manage chemical product risks and to substantially reduce the amount of chemicals emitted to the environment; emissions from chemical facilities have declined by more than 75% since 1988. 

Introduction to Biomonitoring

ACC’s Views on Biomonitoring

CDC’s Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals is the largest and most extensive assessment of the U.S. population’s exposure to environmental chemicals using biomonitoring data.

Biomonitoring Data and Human Health in Perspective

How Chemical Products are Regulated and Evaluated for Safety