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Biomarker research in occupational health
William W Au1, Ernest Lee, David C Christiani
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, The University of Texas, Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1110, USA. william.au@utmb.edu
Objectives:
A variety of biomarkers have been used to study worker populations, and these studies have achieved different levels of success in the improvement of occupational health.
Methods:
Successful application of biomarker research is dependent upon several important factors: ability to identify hazardous substances from the exposure to a variety of substances, relevance to the development of disease, and usefulness for health risk assessment.
Results:
Besides the traditional biomarkers for exposure, biological effects, and health risk, new biomarkers for susceptibility and genome-wide responses are being used to improve our understanding of occupational health at a higher and, perhaps, more precise level.
Conclusions:
In addition, there is a continued need to develop and apply biomarkers that can be used to provide real-time detection of excessive exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace, especially from unexpected fugitive emissions. These topics are discussed in the review.
