How to use human biomonitoring in chemical risk assessment: Methodological aspects, recommendations, and lessons learned from HBM4EU

2023/03/02 by Tiina Santonen, Selma Mahiout, Paula Alvito +39 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals #Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact #Carcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment

paper · doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114139

openalex publication_date 2023/03/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

One of the aims of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative, HBM4EU, was to provide examples of and good practices for the effective use of human biomonitoring (HBM) data in human health risk assessment (RA). The need for such information is pressing, as previous research has indicated that regulatory risk assessors generally lack knowledge and experience of the use of HBM data in RA. By recognising this gap in expertise, as well as the added value of incorporating HBM data into RA, this paper aims to support the integration of HBM into regulatory RA. Based on the work of the HBM4EU, we provide examples of different approaches to including HBM in RA and in estimations of the environmental burden of disease (EBoD), the benefits and pitfalls involved, information on the important methodological aspects to consider, and recommendations on how to overcome obstacles. The examples are derived from RAs or EBoD estimations made under the HBM4EU for the following HBM4EU priority substances: acrylamide, o-toluidine of the aniline family, aprotic solvents, arsenic, bisphenols, cadmium, diisocyanates, flame retardants, hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], lead, mercury, mixture of per-/poly-fluorinated compounds, mixture of pesticides, mixture of phthalates, mycotoxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the UV-filter benzophenone-3. Although the RA and EBoD work presented here is not intended to have direct regulatory implications, the results can be useful for raising awareness of possibly needed policy actions, as newly generated HBM data from HBM4EU on the current exposure of the EU population has been used in many RAs and EBoD estimations.

Citations

• Risk Assessment of Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Flame Retardants in Children by Using HBM-Data
• Human Biomonitoring Guidance Values (HBM-GVs) for Bisphenol S and Assessment of the Risk Due to the Exposure to Bisphenols A and S, in Europe
• Harmonization of Human Biomonitoring Studies in Europe: Characteristics of the HBM4EU-Aligned Studies Participants
• Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU): Human Biomonitoring Guidance Values Derived for Dimethylformamide
• Improving the Risk Assessment of Pesticides through the Integration of Human Biomonitoring and Food Monitoring Data: A Case Study for Chlorpyrifos
• Methylmercury Risk Assessment Based on European Human Biomonitoring Data
• A Tiered Approach for Assessing Individual and Combined Risk of Pyrethroids Using Human Biomonitoring Data
• La diffusion du système comptable OHADA : conception des principes et déclinaison des pratiques
• Cadmium exposure in adults across Europe: Results from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies survey 2014–2020
• Cumulative risk assessment of five phthalates in European children and adolescents
• Approaches to mixture risk assessment of PFASs in the European population based on human hazard and biomonitoring data

Cited by

• Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

Discussions

• #HBM4EU highlights the importance of using human biomonitoring data in #health risk assessments to bridge knowledge gaps and improve #policy actions: doi.org/10.1016/j.ij... #hbm #science #HealthRiskA [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]