Biomonitoring

 Biomonitoring involves the utilization of organisms to assess environmental contamination, like of surrounding air or water. It is done qualitatively by observing and noting changes in organisms, or quantitatively by measuring accumulation of chemicals in organism tissues. Biomonitoring is employed in occupational settings, where workers are monitored for unsafe levels of toxic chemicals, often on a daily schedule. It is also utilized in clinical practice and, more commonly, publicly health research, where it is a source of data on community exposures. Well-known examples of human biomonitoring include measuring alcohol content in exhaled breath with a breathalyzer, a tool utilized in law enforcement; testing for drugs in urine via urinalysis, a technique also utilized in enforcement and during a sort of occupational settings; and measuring concentrations of lead in blood using blood analysis or of arsenic in nails or hair to assist exposure assessments. Scientists performing biomonitoring testing are able to detect and measure concentrations of natural and manmade chemicals in human blood and urine samples at parts-per-billion to parts-per-quadrillion levels. Biomonitoring Equivalents are often used for evaluation of biomonitoring data during a risk assessment context. Comparing biomonitoring data for a chemical with its Biomonitoring Equivalent provides a way for assessing whether population exposures to chemicals are within or above the levels considered safe by regulatory agencies. Biomonitoring Equivalents can thus assist scientists and risk managers within the prioritization of chemicals for follow-up or risk management activities.