Document 6R50dZy4MN9Q1Oqz2G3dJ15M1

Biomonitoring measures the amount of a chemical in your body. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) usually evaluates possible chemical exposure with other scientific methods before using biomonitoring. To help understand w hat the results mean, A T SD R also asks guestions about personal habits and other things like work history. What is biomonitoring? ATSDR scientists use biomonitoring to measure how much of a chemical you have been exposed to. Lab tests can measure the amount of a chemical (or its metabolite) in body tissues or fluids, such as blood or urine. Only specialized labs can run biomonitoring tests. Biomonitoring cannot test for all chemicals. W hat is a metabolite? Once a chemical is in your body, it may break down into a different form. This new form is called a metabolite. How can chemicals get into my body? Chemicals can get into your body from the soil and air, as well as from w ater, dust, food, and consumer products. Your body even produces small amounts of some chemicals. What do scientists know about how chemicals affect my health? Scientists know the effects that some chemicals have on your health, but they do not know the health effects of most of the tens of thousands of chemicals used today. Even when scientists have evidence that a chemical may cause a particular health effect, they often don't know the amount (or level) that can harm human health. Do biomonitoring tests measure all chemicals in my body? Some chemicals only stay in your body for a few hours, but some stay for a few days or weeks or even for years. Testing may not find a chemical in your body even if you were exposed a few days ago. Testing might find a chemical in your body that you haven't been exposed to in 10 or more years. What can scientists learn from biomonitoring test results? How much of the chemical is in your body from all sources combined. For some chemicals, the amount in your body can be compared to amounts in all people in the United States. For a few chemicals, biomonitoring levels can be used to determine if exposures are unsafe. What questions does biomonitoring not (or rarely) answer? Will I have health problems? Are my health problems from exposure to the chemical? Agency for Toxic Suhstnncos and Disense Registry Division of Community Health Investigations US00002872 How or where was I exposed? US00002873  When or how often was I exposed? How long did the exposure last? How much of the chemical was I exposed to? What was the source of exposure? What other information do scientists gather when they investigate chemical exposure? Environmental testing information o Scientists may measure the amount of a chemical in indoor and outdoor air, soil, indoor dust, food, or water. o Environmental test information may help scientists understand how the chemical gets into people's bodies, such as in the a irth e y breathe o rth e food they eat. Personal information Scientists may ask you these questions: o What are your activity patterns? o W here do you work, live, and play? o W hat is your smoking history? o W hat are your hobbies? o W here do you get your drinking w ater and food? Medical information For exam ple, do you have asthma, kidney disease, or diabetes? What else should I know about biomonitoring? Biomonitoring may not be the best w ay to answer questions about chemical exposures. Scientists use different biomonitoring methods depending on the question they are asking. Scientists recommend environmental sampling either before or during biomonitoring. Sampling strategies can be complicated and take tim e. For more information about ATSD R, visit www.atsdir.cdc.qov. US00002874