ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
International Biomonitoring Network :
Collaborating to Keep Pace in a Rapidly Evolving Field
by Annie St-Amand , MSc , section head , National Biomonitoring Program , Health Canada
Human biomonitoring provides valuable data on the status of a population ’ s exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and is an important tool to inform policy and decision making .
Several countries around the world have in place , or are in the process of developing , national-level human biomonitoring programs to establish baseline population exposure data and to monitor exposures over time . These programs are valuable for informing policy decisions but require large investments of time and resources to develop the necessary complex infrastructures and analytical methods . Strengthening links between programs and increasing global harmonization of approaches will allow programs to better leverage expertise , maximize efficiencies and promote alignment and comparability of data .
International Biomonitoring Network
The International Biomonitoring Network ( IBN ) was established in 2018 bringing together national-level human biomonitoring programs . Ten international jurisdictions currently participate in the network , including Canada , United States , Germany , Japan , Belgium , Spain , France , South Korea , Taiwan and Israel . The goal of IBN is to provide a forum for exchanging information relevant to these programs , and to identify and facilitate opportunities for internal and external partnerships and collaborations . Broad themes of interest for IBN include operations and program delivery , interpretation and communication , and analytical methods . An online platform is used for ongoing information exchange and annual in-person meetings provide an opportunity for more in-depth discussions . When areas of focus require further examination , specific working groups may be proposed .
New i-HBM Working Group
Second in-person meeting of IBN in Kaunas , Lithuania , at the ISES conference on August 20 , 2019 . From left to right : Shoji Nakayama ( Japan ), Yukiko Nishihama ( Japan ), André Conrad ( Germany ) , Antonia Calafat ( US ), Annie St-Amand ( Canada ), Victor De Jesus ( US ), Argelia Castaño ( Spain ), Greet Schoeters ( Belgium ), Jurgen Buekers ( Belgium ), Benjamin Blount ( US ), Marike Kolossa- Gehring ( Germany ), Alain Leblanc ( Canada ), Romuald Tagne-Fotso ( France ), Julie Yome ( Canada ), Ching-Chung Lin ( Taiwan ), Pau-Chung Chen ( Taiwan ), Julia Hurraß ( Germany ), Jiyoung Yoo ( Korea ), Meng-Shan Tsai ( Taiwan ), Jueun Lee ( Korea ), Jovile Raudoniute ( Lithuania ), Po-Chin Huang ( Taiwan ). Photo : Patrick Bélanger ( Canada )
In 2020 , the IBN initiated the development of the International Human Biomonitoring Guidance Values ( i-HBM ) Working Group under the
International Society of Exposure Science ( ISES ) to further investigate the potential for harmonization of approaches for the development and use of human biomonitoring guidance values . The interpretation of biomonitoring data is a key challenge to translating results for priority setting , risk assessment and risk management . Establishing a common understanding of the interpretation tools available and consensus on the uses and limitations of these tools is an essential starting point .
10 LAB MATTERS Winter 2021