Proposal for biomonitoring values according to the extended approach of the HBM commission

In 2010 the German Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) and the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) started a joint project on human biomonitoring. On the one hand, data obtained in this project can help to detect previously unidentified exposure sources. Over the next years detection methods shall be developed for up to 50 substances and HBM values should be derived in this project. On the other hand, a risk assessment is necessary to identify safe levels of internal exposure. The VCI is in charge of the development of detection methods, whereas the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) funded a project (FKZ 3710 62 220 1) on proposals for HBM values. In this project Fraunhofer ITEM evaluated the toxicological data of the first 5 substances and derived proposals for HBM values. The five evaluated substances are plasticizers (DINCH and DPHP), UV filter (4-MBC), precursors for e.g. polyurethanes (MDI) and vulcanisation accelerators for rubber products and tyres (MBT). These proposals will be discussed by the German Human Biomonitoring Commission. The proposals for HBM values followed the extended approach of the German HBM Commission (HBM 2007), in which accepted TDI/ADI values are used as starting point. When basic information on human metabolism is available, these TDI/ADI values can be converted to a concentration in a body matrix, usually urine or blood. According to the Commission such values are HBM-I-values and are defined as concentration in a body matrix of a substance, below which no impairment of health must be expected. The extended approach is nearly identical with one part of another approach for the derivation of biomonitoring equivalents (BE concept, for further details see Angerer et al. 2011 and Hays & Aylward 2012). When information on human metabolism is missing the BE concept also offers the possibility to use information on animal metabolism and calculate a concentration in a body matrix with modified assessment factors. The presentation will give an overview on data availability, point of departure as well as methods used for proposals of HBM or BE values