ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Storing Samples and Data for
Future Use
Residual DBS are a potentially valuable
resource for research, but the cost of
storage, retrieval and preparation of DBS
for biomonitoring can be substantial.
The lack of storage guidelines for
residual DBS around physical conditions
like temperature and humidity, in
combination with issues around privacy
and consent, currently limit the use of
residual DBS for biomonitoring.
Looking to the future, DBS and other
non-conventional matrices such as
amniotic fluid, meconium, cord blood,
placenta and umbilical cord have the
potential to be matrices for assessing
exposure to select environmental
chemicals. Newly emerging analytical
approaches offer the possibility
of analyzing DBS spiked with
pharmaceutical compounds with
minimal sample preparation and
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extraction steps. These quantitative
methods, already applicable in the
pharmaceutical field for analyzing
whole blood, offer exciting promise for
the analysis of DBS for biomonitoring
purposes.
High-quality analytical methods
already permit the determination of
target environmental chemicals in
DBS. However, limited data exist on the
suitability of DBS for biomonitoring
purposes, particularly for chemicals with
widespread commercial and industrial
use. As validated protocols are developed
for the collection, handling, shipping and
storage of DBS to preserve the integrity
of both DBS and the target analytes, they
will help assure valid generation and
interpretation of biomonitoring data.
Further research will provide critical data
to determine the suitability of DBS for
epidemiologic studies to assess exposures
to environmental chemicals.
APHL.org
Since 1999, NHANES has included an
ongoing exposure assessment of the
US population to select environmental
chemicals. CDC’s Updated Tables, January
2019 presents nationally representative and
cumulative biomonitoring data gathered
from 1999 through 2016, including all the
data from each previous National Report
on Human Exposure to Environmental
Chemicals. n
Spring 2019 LAB MATTERS
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