Interpreting Biomarkers in humans

1
Interpreting Biomarkers in humans

• Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry

2
Continuum for Relating Environmental
Contamination with Clinical Disease
3
Limited number of biomarkers available for human
biomonitoring

• Heavy metals
• Organic compounds

4
Heavy Metal Biomarkers

• Analytic methods are standardized
• Good estimate of recent exposure
• Reference ranges generally available

5
Organic Compounds

• Volatile Organic Compounds
• Persistent Organic Compounds

6
Biomarkers measure aggregate exposure

• All routes
• All sources

7
Reference ranges

• Are population-based
• Do not relate to health effects

8
How does one relate measurements in the
environment and biota to human measurements ?
9
(No Transcript)
10
PCBs in Fisherman from 2 contaminated areas
Site Catfish Large-mouth Bass Mean
SC Lake 2- 7 ppm 3-16 ppm 30 3.3 µg/L
TN
11
DDT-related compounds in eggs
Sample Type DDT DDE DDD
Soil (N11) .051-1.8 .051-1.6 ND-.56
Eggs (N32) ND-.294 .023-1.81 ND-.089