Europe PMC requires Javascript to function effectively.
Either your web browser doesn't support Javascript or it is currently turned off. In the latter case, please
turn on Javascript support in your web browser and reload this page.
This website requires cookies, and the limited processing of your
personal data in order to function. By using the site you are agreeing
to this as outlined in our
privacy notice and cookie policy.
1.
German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Authors
Pack LK
1
Fiddicke U
1
Kolossa-Gehring M
1
(3 authors)
2.
VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium.
Authors
Gilles L
2
Cops J
2
(2 authors)
3.
Department of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), PO Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.
Authors
Tolonen H
3
(1 author)
4.
Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), PO Box 1, 3720BA, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
Authors
van Kamp I
4
(1 author)
5.
National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Madrid, Spain.
Share this article
Share with emailShare with twitterShare with linkedinShare with facebook
Abstract
Internal exposure of the human body to potentially harmful chemical substances can be assessed by Human Biomonitoring (HBM). HBM can be used to generate conclusive data that may provide an overview of exposure levels in entire or specific population groups. This knowledge can promote the understanding of potential risks of the substances of interest or help monitoring the success of regulatory measures taken on the political level. Study planning and design are key elements of any epidemiologic study to generate reliable data. In the field of HBM, this has been done using differing approaches on various levels of population coverage so far. Comparison and combined usage of the resulting data would contribute to understanding exposure and its factors on a larger scale, however, the differences between studies make this a challenging and somewhat limited endeavour. This article presents templates for documents that are required to set up an HBM study, thus facilitating the generation of harmonised HBM data as a step towards standardisation of HBM in Europe. They are designed to be modular and adaptable to the specific needs of a single study while emphasising minimum requirements to ensure comparability. It further elaborates on the challenges encountered during the process of creating these documents during the runtime of the European Joint Programme HBM4EU in a multi-national expert team and draws up lessons learnt in the context of knowledge management.