Environmental Specimen Banking: The Selection, Collection, Transport, and Storage or Biomedical Samples

In order to adequately ensure the protection of human health and the environment from the thousands of presently suspected hazardous substances and the new compounds added to those by new industrial processes, sophisticated approaches to hazard assessment and monitoring are being established. Environmental specimen banking (ESB) is necessary, useful, and important for environmental monitoring currently, and in the future for monitoring the past. ESB has already proved a good lool for recording inorganic and/or organic pollution trends over the years. Moreover, ESB offers the possibilities and potentials for retrospective analysis of authentic samples from the past by improved future analytical procedures, including the detection of presently unnoticed environmental chemicals of biological interest. Among the specimens representing the environment, specimens of human origin play a key role. The selection criteria for human specimens include ethical and legal considerations together with the appropriate scientific approaches and epidemiological criteria. Technical considerations for sampling, preparation, transportation, and storage of the specimens include the selection and development of specific materials and implements, cold storage, and clean room technology in order not to compromise the original composition of the sample.