Biomonitoring

The term biomonitoring or biomonitoring finds application in various disciplines.

Occupational and Environmental Medicine

In the occupational and environmental medicine are understood ( even Engl. Biological monitoring ) the determination of pollutants, their metabolites and their bound to proteins in the organism or to the DNA forms. These substances can be demonstrated quantitatively in body fluids. Biomonitoring provides such a valuable way is to protect the individual from the effects of harmful agents ( individual prevention ).

By biomonitoring or engl. Biomonitoring can the absorbed dose from the individual pollutants are detected specifically and sensitively ( internal exposure; dose monitoring). The currently available methods of analysis make it possible to detect many contaminants in very small, environmentally medically relevant concentrations. Many metals, organic solvents, persistent and non-persistent pesticides, aromatic amines and aromatic nitro compounds, aromatic hydrocarbons polycondensated and other substances can be quantitatively measured today. As before, but still suitable methods for monitoring a dose must be worked out, for example, for many pesticides.

After early beginnings in the 30's biomonitoring has steadily gained since the 60s in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine in importance. Its widespread use has been made possible by always better analysis techniques. Germany has used the medical biomonitoring earlier and more consistently than other countries for the prevention of damage to health by chemical substances. The Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the research community has been working for 1975 for the development of valid and proven analytical methods. In 1979 the working substance Commission as the first order, health tolerable limits in the form of biological Tolerance Values ​​(BAT ) is recommended. The U.S. followed suit. Since 1984, the German Society of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health ensures the quality of the results of biomonitoring ring trials. In Germany puts the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs binding biological limit values ​​( BGW, formerly BAT) and workplace exposure limits (OEL, formerly MAK) for Hazardous Substances fixed. This must at least comply with the relevant EU regulations.

Ecology

In ecology the term biomonitoring or Biobeobachtung ( " monitoring") is for the time regularly repeated observation, monitoring and measuring the state and used inventory of plants and animals and their communities to determine the quality of the environment.

Draw conclusions on the quality and quantity of chemical and physical environmental changes of anthropogenic origin from state or inventory changes of the living world. The evaluation measured changes compared to the normal state occurs by utilizing indicative properties of these organisms or certain indicative of significant processes in the organism. In biomonitoring are short-term effects, in the form of spontaneous behavioral changes and, where appropriate, rapid mortality of organisms as a consequence of acute toxicity of long-term effects, ie mostly chronic damage up to the mortality of the organisms by permanently high background levels to distinguish. Secured long-term observations are carried out in Germany since 1781 and today represent a valuable basis in environmental research