[Biological monitoring in occupational medicine practice]

The following scheme proved to be a good tool carrying out biomonitoring studies for workers potentially exposed against chemicals: selection of substance of concern, literature survey, collection of workplace data, establishment of an "action level", laying down the monitoring strategy, biomonitoring study, evaluation of the results, documentation, information of the persons involved. The "action level" is useful to evaluate the biomonitoring results. It should be used as a guidance value at which the situation of exposure must be checked. The action level depends on legal threshold values and scientific findings in occupational medicine and toxicology. Furthermore the exposition minimum possible with current technology must be taken into consideration.