Human Biomonitoring Studies.

The top of the iceberg corresponds to substances that are already routinely detected in environmental and human matrices, and substances for which adverse effects are already established! However, the rest of the iceberg can indicate substances that are below the detection limit, unknown substances, absence of analytical methods for their quantification, biotransformation products, and mixing of effects.

In recent years, the increase in industrial manufacturing processes, agricultural practices, and new technological development have realizing a rising array of chemicals into the environment and, unfortunately, becoming the human exposure a real possibility.

Assessing human exposure to environmental pollutants became crucial while considering the presence and seriousness of harmful effects and their potential risks to human health. In this context, human biomonitoring studies are the most interesting approach to evaluating human exposure by determining biomarkers in biological samples (body fluids or tissues), including the unaltered pollutants and/or metabolites. This analytical tool may provide information for risk assessment, exposure prevention, and public health interventions to reduce or minimize health problems.