External Quality Assessment Scheme for Biological Monitoring of Occupational Exposure to Toxic Chemicals

Exposure to at least 100 different chemicals may be estimated on an individual basis from their concentrations in blood or urine. The present document reviews sources of error in the collection, processing and storage of specimens for this biological monitoring. Physiological factors cause variation in the concentration of chemicals in the body fluids. Distribution of water depends on posture. Exercise and meals cause changes in blood constituents. The urine output varies and, thus, the concentrations of dissolved chemicals change. Many toxic chemicals show short half times in the blood; thus, their concentrations depend on the timing of the specimen collection. Skin absorption may result in dramatically different chemical concentrations in different parts of the circulation. The stability of chemicals in the collected specimens is generally limited: chemical deterioration, adsorption, precipitation, and evaporation are the main causes of losses. For many chemicals, especially for trace elements, contamination of the specimen is the overwhelmingly most important source of error. As the range of the chemicals measured is wide, the relative importance of the sources of error is different for different chemicals. Information on most chemicals is at present very limited. Thus, before commencing a program on biological exposure monitoring, it is advisable to search the optimal conditions for specimen collection, processing, and storage.