Biomonitoring Programs for State Public Health Laboratories

The objectives of this federal assistance is to support the development or expansion of state-based biomonitoring programs, including necessary infrastructure, that will increase the capability and capacity of state public health laboratories (1) to assess human exposure to environmental chemicals within
their jurisdictions; (2) to determine which chemicals people are exposed to and the levels of those chemicals in people s bodies; (3) to determine the prevalence of people with levels of chemicals that are above a known toxicity threshold; (4) to determine whether levels of selected chemicals are higher among minorities, children, women of childbearing age, or other potentially vulnerable groups; (5) to assess the effectiveness of state public health actions to reduce the exposure of their residents to specific chemicals of concern; (6) to compare state-generated biomonitoring data with CDC national biomonitoring data; and (7) to track trends in levels of chemicals in a state s population or subgroups of that population over time.
Agency - Department of Health and Human Services

The Department of Health and Human Services is the Federal government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially to those who are least able to help themselves.

Website Address

http://www.cdc.gov




Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: Throughout the world, biomonitoring is the standard for assessing people s exposure to chemicals in the environment as well as for responding to public health problems that can result from exposure to environmental chemicals. Biomonitoring is the direct measurement of environmental chemicals in people s blood, urine, or other body tissues. Predicting levels of chemicals in people s bodies after exposure is often based on estimates or measurements of the chemicals in air, soil, water, food, or commercial products. Using such information to estimate body burden also involves making assumptions about the influences of such factors as people s personal habits and lifestyles; the toxicokinetics of the chemical (i.e., absorption, distribution in the body, metabolism, and elimination); and the contribution of genetic factors that can differ in individuals. In contrast, biomonitoring provides a definitive measure of which specific chemicals-and how much-get into people after they have been exposed. The value of biomonitoring lies in decreasing the uncertainty in assessing levels of human exposure, thus vastly improving the ability of public health officials to make timely and appropriate public health decisions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has used this important public health tool for at least three decades to determine people s exposure to chemicals and has provided critical national data about human exposure to hundreds of environmental chemicals. These findings have been published in the peer-reviewed literature and in CDC s highly influential National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (see http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/). State public health officials have recognized the value of this report but also recognize that the data contained in the report are not state specific. Consequently, health departments are interested in conducting biomonitoring assessments of chemical exposures among residents within their jurisdictions. Providing funding to state public health laboratories to develop or expand biomonitoring programs will give states the help they need to assess exposure to chemicals of concern and to be able to assess the effectiveness of public health efforts to reduce exposure to these chemicals. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Uses and Use Restrictions

Cooperative agreements may be made to eligible entities for the support of projects to develop or expand state-based biomonitoring programs.

Funding may be used for personnel salaries (for full-time, part-time, or contractor positions), laboratory instruments and supplies, training, travel, and indirect costs.

Funds may not be used for research, clinical care, furniture or office equipment, pre-award costs, or the construction of new laboratory space.

In addition, the direct and primary recipient in the cooperative agreement program must perform a substantial role in carrying out project objectives and not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another party or provider who is ineligible.