Comparative assessment of approaches to human biomonitoring problem by national and foreign researchers (literature review)

Abstract

Environmental safety is one of the sustainable development priorities of the Russian Federation. Increasing chemical pollutant emissions resulting from activities of industry, power engineering, traffic, and capital construction facilities into the environment cause both human life and health hazard risks. The object of this study was identifying approaches to harmonization of European and Russian human biomonitoring systems, which contributes to an assessment of harmful environmental chemical pollutant effects on human health. International and Russian regulatory legal acts, procedural documents were used as study materials, a set of general research methods was applied. Major problems that arise when assessing chemical pollutant exposures using human biomonitoring methods (HBM) are considered. The analysis of procedural materials of Russian Federation and European countries used in HBM revealed certain imperfections of Russian regulatory and procedural framework. Challenges in biomonitoring study are shown as follows: the choice of an informative biomarker and biological material; lack of standardized sampling techniques, harmonized methods for the analysis of biological materials, presentation of results, determination of allowable exposure levels. These discrepancies result in incommensurate results reducing reliability and significance levels of epidemiological studies. The paper summarizes international research experience in European countries, which could be the basis for the development of regulations for carrying out HBM in the Russian Federation. This document should be harmonized following the provisions of European documents, be terminologically uniform.