Background
Biomonitoring is one of the most relevant methods to assess human exposure to chemicals as
it reflects the real, internal exposure regardless of the route of exposure. At present, the
analytical techniques allow determination of biomarkers at very low levels and it is expected
that the role of biomarkers in human health risk assessment will continue to develop in the
next years.
To enable the use of biomarkers of exposure in health risk assessment, it is essential to take
account of the intra- and inter-individual variation in their concentrations within the general
population. The reliability of the health risk assessment depends on the knowledge of these
variations, which may be due to cultural factors (e.g. diet, lifestyle), medication, or different
(genetic) susceptibility. This last factor is considered to be beyond the scope of this request.
Objectives
- Further development of information on the intra- and inter-individual variations in key biomarkers.
- Evaluation of research needs in this area.
- Indication of the most appropriate directions of research.
- Publication in the scientific literature.
Scope
The requested research proposal should:
- Provide a logical approach to collect and analyse existing data on intra- and interindividual variation of the concentrations of key biomarkers in the population at large.
- Address major cultural factors influencing biomarker levels (excluding susceptibility).
- Report, if possible, available data.
- Address both scientific and regulatory use.
- Identify data gaps and specific research needs.