Biomonitoring
Biomonitoring is the process of testing organic tissues and fluids to assess the impact of environmental exposures on living organisms, primarily humans. This practice has been employed for over two centuries but has seen increased focus in the twenty-first century on testing human fluids and tissues for chemical presence. Conducted mainly by government agencies and research organizations, biomonitoring helps measure exposure to toxic substances, providing insights into how these chemicals accumulate in the human body and affect health. Biomarkers, which are measurable changes in the body due to chemical exposure, are central to this assessment, with testing typically performed on blood, urine, saliva, and other biological samples.
The practice originated in the late 1800s, initially using devices to gauge physiological responses and later evolving to include testing for toxins like lead and arsenic. Today, biomonitoring is crucial for understanding environmental health risks, as it can reveal exposure to everyday chemicals found in household products, food, and water. While primarily focused on human health, biomonitoring can also apply to plants and animals to assess environmental quality, making it a valuable tool for ecological research and public health.
Biomonitoring
Biomonitoring is the testing of organic tissues and fluids to determine something about an organism or its environment. Biomonitoring can be used on plants and animals, but is most often used on people. While forms of biomonitoring have been used for more than two centuries, in the twenty-first century, interest has grown in a specific form of biomonitoring that tests human fluids and tissues for the presence of chemicals. These tests are often conducted by government agencies and research groups to measure employees' exposure to toxic chemicals. This form of biomonitoring is particularly useful because many chemicals accumulate in the human body; the testing allows scientists to determine how much exposure people are receiving and how they are being affected by this exposure.
Background
The word "biomonitoring" comes from a combination of the Greek word bios, meaning "in the course of human life," and the Latin word monere, which became another Latin word, monit-, meaning "warn." Biomonitoring refers to observing or studying some aspect of a human or other living being specifically to determine how it has been changed by something to which it has been exposed.
The earliest application of the word biomonitoring referred to using a device to test the reaction of a person to a stimulus. In the late 1880s, psychoanalysts such as Carl Jung (1875–1961) and others used a galvanic skin response meter, a device that captures and measures the electrical impulses in human skin, to gauge a person's reaction to certain questions or situations, much like a contemporary lie detector. This and similar testing procedures were considered biomonitoring.
Another form of biomonitoring also arose during the 1800s, when physicians discovered that testing human tissue could help them determine whether salicylic acid (a form of aspirin) was helping in the treatment of rheumatism. Around the same time, agencies concerned about the health of factory workers exposed to lead used biomonitoring. Lead is odorless and colorless; its presence can only be detected by testing for it.
For many years, the majority of biomonitoring was conducted by government agencies and employers monitoring the health and welfare of employees in various industries. Law enforcement agencies also used biomonitoring when they conducted breathalyzer tests for alcohol intoxication. Biomonitoring was also conducted in the medical field when samples of hair or blood were tested for the presence of toxins such as arsenic. Toward the end of the twentieth century, however, as testing methods improved and concern about the hazards of environmental exposure increased, biomonitoring was most often used to check for the presence and effects of chemicals on the human body. It became a way to monitor the health of people and the environment.
Overview
Biomonitoring of humans for the effects of their exposure to chemicals uses biomarkers. These are simply changes to the human body caused by exposure to a chemical that can be measured. These changes can be identified at the cellular level in human blood, urine, saliva, semen, breast milk, hair, fat, bone, teeth, and other substances.
Many chemicals are in the environment. For example, chemicals are released into the air from fumes from vehicles and factories. They are deposited into the ground as fertilizers and sprayed on trees as insecticides. They are even released into the air from household cleaning products. Humans are inadvertently exposed to these chemicals. People ingest them when the chemicals get into the food and water supply. People come into contact with chemicals when they use cleaning solutions, scented candles, cosmetics, and hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, and toothpaste. Some of these chemicals are safe, or at least safe in certain quantities. Others are dangerous and can cause a range of health problems, including asthma, cancer, and even weight gain.
Biomonitoring helps researchers determine how much of various chemicals are in the body and how they are affecting the body. Researchers can approach the testing in several ways. They can do a cross-sectional study, checking a broad group of people who meet certain specific characteristics to see what chemicals they have been exposed to or if they show signs of contact with a particular substance. For example, researchers might check pregnant women in a certain area to determine if they have been exposed to anything that causes birth defects, or they might test people who swam in a public pool to see if they have come into contact with a certain chemical.
While biomonitoring generally refers to tests conducted on human subjects, it can also refer to testing done on other biological life forms to check the health of the environment. For example, tests can be conducted on plant species to monitor the spread of toxic effects of a fertilizer. Some animal species can also help determine the health of their environment. For example, researchers use marine worms known as polychaetes to study the ocean's health because these worms quickly respond to changes in their environment.
Bibliography
"About the National Biomonitoring Program." CDC, 24 Apr. 2024, www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/about/index.html. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Juberg, Daland R. et al. "What Is Biomonitoring?" Mackinac Center for Public Policy, HYPERLINK "https://www.mackinac.org/9246" https://www.mackinac.org/9246. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
"Minnesota Biomonitoring Program." Minnesota Department of Health, 21 May 2024, www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/biomonitoring/about/index.html. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
"National Biomonitoring Program." US Centers for Disease Control, www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/" https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.