Description
Biomonitoring is the laboratory measurement of chemicals in blood or other body fluids. The measurement of an environmental chemical in a person does not by itself mean that the chemical causes harm. Advances in analytical methods allow measurement of low levels of environmental chemicals in people, but separate studies are needed to determine health effects, if any.
Scientists have long understood that we absorb many chemical substances from our environment. These are critical processes that sustain life, such as absorbing oxygen from air and nutrients from food. Today, because of recent technological advances in analytical chemistry, scientists can detect extraordinarily low levels of natural and man-made chemicals in blood or other body fluids. While biomonitoring has promise as a public health tool to help us better understand exposure to a wide-range of substances, like all potentially useful tools, biomonitoring has limitations. Biomonitoring studies report the presence of a given chemical measured in the body, typically at a single point in time. Biomonitoring information is most useful if the study is designed to provide information about the source of the exposure (natural or synthetic) and the trend (increasing or decreasing) over time. These types of biomonitoring studies are less common, but when combined with information about potential health effects, they can be very instructive.
Dow's Position
Dow supports continued research in the area of biomonitoring as an evolving approach to obtain additional chemical exposure information. Dow has a long-standing commitment to health-related research and chemical product stewardship under Responsible Care. As part of this commitment, Dow works with the scientific community and governments to promote the development of methodologies needed to appropriately interpret biomonitoring results as a foundation for risk-based decision making.
Dow also supports:
- Science-based programs based on accepted scientific principles and established public health criteria. Such a program should be scientifically sound, adequately robust, and transparent. These programs should also provide clear information to the participants to aid in the understanding of the results in a health context.
- A risk-based approach to public policy. There must be a risk-based process for interpreting biomonitoring results in the appropriate context, particularly if the results are to be used for regulatory or other policy decision-making purposes. Biomonitoring results should be used to define further research needs and exposure trends over time. Biomonitoring cannot answer questions about risk or safety without additional information.
- Appropriate interpretation and communication of biomonitoring results. While Dow is supportive of the Exposure Report Card of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other similar programs that establish background biomonitoring data, we believe these results need to be evaluated in the context of the health risks. The presence of trace levels of chemicals in the body can be misinterpreted, and therefore, must be communicated in a public health context.
Dow's Actions
We support the further development of biomonitoring data as a part of the study of environmental exposures as follows:
- We conduct research that provides insight into the relationships between our chemicals and human health.
- We support use of biomonitoring to improve public health and to assure proper regulatory decisions in conjunction with other studies that can help with the assessment of sources of exposure, timing of exposure, level of exposure, the dose rate, and the potential, if any, for health effects.
- Dow is a founding member of and active participant in the Alliance for Chemical Awareness, www.chemicalawareness.org, a group dedicated to expanding research data on various chemicals.
- Dow also supports the High Production Volume Chemical Challenge program, the Children's Health Initiative, and similar programs. These voluntary programs work to make sure information about chemical health and environmental risks is available to the public.
Last Updated: March 23, 2005
For additional Dow information visit:
Environmental Stewardship
Product Safety
For more external information, visit the American Chemistry Council's information on Biomonitoring.
