Biomarkers: key to exposure reconstruction

Article By:

Tan, Yumei National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Phillips, Martin National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Sobus, Jon National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Chang, Daniel T. National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Goldsmith, Michael R. National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Last reviewed:October 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.083255

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• Biomarkers: key to exposure reconstruction, published December 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

Identifying exposure sources, routes, frequency, duration, and magnitude using biomarker data combined with other approaches, such as computational models and available environmental measurement data. The goal of environmental health science is to understand the interplay between the environment and humans to evaluate the effects of human activities on the public health and environment and, conversely, to evaluate the effects of various aspects of the environment on human health. When investigating the effects that exposures to chemicals have on human health, the major challenge lies in establishing the causal relationship between the magnitude of exposure to these chemicals and the incidence of adverse outcomes (such as cancer and irritation) at various biological endpoints. This causal relationship can be established only when all elements on the source–exposure–dose–effect continuum are linked (Fig. 1).

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