human biomonitoring

The German Environment Agency supports the cooperation on human biomonitoring between the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the German chemical industrial association (VCI). The cooperation is significant for the development of new analytical methods to enable the detection of chemicals in urine or blood samples to which the population may have increased exposure or are of special relevance

The Human Biomonitoring Commission has published opinions on many substances in various specialist journals (only in German language).

Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a tool of health-related environmental monitoring with which populations are examined for their exposure to pollutants from the environment. The results are also intended to provide information as to whether (further) pollutant reduction measures are needed and on the effects of existing measures.

Experts from federal and other authorities, from universities and other research institutes give advice to the Federal Environment Agency in commissions and working groups. Recommended actions are worked out after intensive discussion.
Otherwise the Federal Environment Agency provides advice to working groups of federal government and German federal states as well as to the WHO.

Human biomonitoring (HBM) is an important tool in environmental medicine to assess and evaluate the level of internal exposure of the general population, population groups and individuals to environmental toxins.

The Federal Environment Agency decided to conduct a special GerES on children because they must be considered as a risk group for adverse health effects caused by environmental factors

The members of the Human Biomonitoring Commission are appointed by the President of the Federal Environment Agency for a period of three years.