A biomonitoring framework to support exposure and risk assessments

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health Sciences
• Toxicology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Biomonitoring is crucial for exposure and risk assessments, reducing uncertainties in the source-to-outcome continuum.
• Biomarkers identify exposure sources, routes, and distributions, reflecting biological processes.
• Computational models increasingly use biomarkers for population, individual, and target-level exposure understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel biomonitoring research framework.
• To improve the utilization and interpretation of biomarkers in exposure and risk assessments.

Main Methods:

• The framework is built upon a modified source-to-outcome continuum.
• It incorporates five tiers of biomonitoring analyses, ranging from simple to complex.
• Includes requirements for measurements and models, with considerations for enhancing analyses.

Main Results:

• The framework provides a structured approach for biomonitoring data analysis.
• It details measurement and model requirements for each analytical tier.
• Theoretical examples illustrate framework application in observational exposure studies.

Conclusions:

• The framework serves as a guide for interpreting existing biomarker data.
• It aids in designing new studies to address specific exposure and risk questions.
• Facilitates interdisciplinary knowledge integration for improved human health risk assessment.