Biomonitoring-based indicators of exposure to chemical pollutants (2012)

The WHO European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEH) is coordinating the development of biomonitoring-based indicators for efficient monitoring of Parma Declaration commitments to protect children from chemical hazards. This technical meeting in Catania, Italy, was co-funded by the Sicilian Regional Government. The meeting involved 38 biomonitoring experts from 15 Member States who worked together with Sicilian  specialists to define a list of biomarkers for the proposed WHO survey in the general population and inhabitants of areas contaminated by the petrochemical industry. Meeting participants agreed that the proposed survey should focus on pregnant women who will be recruited from hospital maternity wards. After evaluating a large number of chemicals using a set of pre-defined criteria, meeting participants defined a list of high priority biomarkers for further evaluation, methodology development and pilot testing in a region with chemical pollution problems, such as Sicily.