Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

Eva Govarts; Liese Gilles; Laura Rodriguez Martin; Tiina Santonen; Petra Apel; Paula Alvito; Elena Anastasi; Helle Raun Andersen; Anna Maria Andersson; Lenka Andryskova; Jean Philippe Antignac; Brice Appenzeller; Fabio Barbone; Zohar Barnett-Itzhaki; Robert Barouki; Tamar Berman; Wieneke Bil; Teresa Borges; Jurgen Buekers; Ana Cañas-Portilla; Adrian Covaci; Zsofia Csako; Elly Den Hond; Darina Dvorakova; Lucia Fabelova; Tony Fletcher; Hanne Frederiksen; Catherine Gabriel; Catherine Ganzleben; Thomas Göen; Thorhallur I. Halldorsson; Line S. Haug; Milena Horvat; Pasi Huuskonen; Medea Imboden; Marta Jagodic Hudobivnik; Beata Janasik; Natasa Janev Holcer; Spyros Karakitsios; Andromachi Katsonouri; Jana Klanova; Venetia Kokaraki; Tina Kold Jensen; Jani Koponen; Michelle Laeremans; Federica Laguzzi; Rosa Lange; Nora Lemke; Sanna Lignell; Anna Karin Lindroos; Joana Lobo Vicente; Mirjam Luijten; Konstantinos C. Makris; Darja Mazej; Lisa Melymuk; Matthieu Meslin; Hans Mol; Parisa Montazeri; Aline Murawski; Sónia Namorado; Lars Niemann; Stefanie Nübler; Baltazar Nunes; Kristin Olafsdottir; Lubica Palkovicova Murinova; Nafsika Papaioannou; Susana Pedraza-Diaz; Pavel Piler; Veronika Plichta; Michael Poteser; Nicole Probst-Hensch; Loïc Rambaud; Elke Rauscher-Gabernig; Katarina Rausova; Sylvie Remy; Margaux Riou; Valentina Rosolen; Christophe Rousselle; Maria Rüther; Denis Sarigiannis; Maria J. Silva; Zdenka Šlejkovec; Janja Snoj Tratnik; Anja Stajnko; Tamas Szigeti; José V. Tarazona; Cathrine Thomsen; Žiga Tkalec; Hanna Tolonen; Tomas Trnovec; Maria Uhl; An Van Nieuwenhuyse; Elsa Vasco; Veerle J. Verheyen; Susana Viegas; Anne Marie Vinggaard; Nina Vogel; Katrin Vorkamp; Wojciech Wasowicz; Till Weber; Sona Wimmerova; Marjolijn Woutersen; Philipp Zimmermann; Martin Zvonar; Holger Koch; Marike Kolossa-Gehring; Marta Esteban López; Argelia Castaño; Lorraine Stewart; Ovnair Sepai; Greet Schoeters

doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119

Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

Eva Govarts^*, Liese Gilles, Laura Rodriguez Martin, Tiina Santonen, Petra Apel, Paula Alvito, Elena Anastasi, Helle Raun Andersen, Anna Maria Andersson, Lenka Andryskova, Jean Philippe Antignac, Brice Appenzeller, Fabio Barbone, Zohar Barnett-Itzhaki, Robert Barouki, Tamar Berman, Wieneke Bil, Teresa Borges, Jurgen Buekers, Ana Cañas-PortillaAdrian Covaci, Zsofia Csako, Elly Den Hond, Darina Dvorakova, Lucia Fabelova, Tony Fletcher, Hanne Frederiksen, Catherine Gabriel, Catherine Ganzleben, Thomas Göen, Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, Line S. Haug, Milena Horvat, Pasi Huuskonen, Medea Imboden, Marta Jagodic Hudobivnik, Beata Janasik, Natasa Janev Holcer, Spyros Karakitsios, Andromachi Katsonouri, Jana Klanova, Venetia Kokaraki, Tina Kold Jensen, Jani Koponen, Michelle Laeremans, Federica Laguzzi, Rosa Lange, Nora Lemke, Sanna Lignell, Anna Karin Lindroos, Joana Lobo Vicente, Mirjam Luijten, Konstantinos C. Makris, Darja Mazej, Lisa Melymuk, Matthieu Meslin, Hans Mol, Parisa Montazeri, Aline Murawski, Sónia Namorado, Lars Niemann, Stefanie Nübler, Baltazar Nunes, Kristin Olafsdottir, Lubica Palkovicova Murinova, Nafsika Papaioannou, Susana Pedraza-Diaz, Pavel Piler, Veronika Plichta, Michael Poteser, Nicole Probst-Hensch, Loïc Rambaud, Elke Rauscher-Gabernig, Katarina Rausova, Sylvie Remy, Margaux Riou, Valentina Rosolen, Christophe Rousselle, Maria Rüther, Denis Sarigiannis, Maria J. Silva, Zdenka Šlejkovec, Janja Snoj Tratnik, Anja Stajnko, Tamas Szigeti, José V. Tarazona, Cathrine Thomsen, Žiga Tkalec, Hanna Tolonen, Tomas Trnovec, Maria Uhl, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Elsa Vasco, Veerle J. Verheyen, Susana Viegas, Anne Marie Vinggaard, Nina Vogel, Katrin Vorkamp, Wojciech Wasowicz, Till Weber, Sona Wimmerova, Marjolijn Woutersen, Philipp Zimmermann, Martin Zvonar, Holger Koch, Marike Kolossa-Gehring, Marta Esteban López, Argelia Castaño, Lorraine Stewart, Ovnair Sepai, Greet Schoeters

^*Corresponding author for this work

Human Biomonitoring Research Unit

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants of three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6–12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12–18 years and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20–39 years. The participants were recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11–12 countries per age group, geographically distributed across Europe. Depending on the age group, internal exposure to phthalates and the substitute DINCH, halogenated and organophosphorus flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), cadmium, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic species, acrylamide, mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (total DON)), benzophenones and selected pesticides was assessed by measuring substance specific biomarkers subjected to stringent quality control programs for chemical analysis. For substance groups analyzed in different age groups higher average exposure levels were observed in the youngest age group, i.e., phthalates/DINCH in children versus teenagers, acrylamide and pesticides in children versus adults, benzophenones in teenagers versus adults. Many biomarkers in teenagers and adults varied significantly according to educational attainment, with higher exposure levels of bisphenols, phthalates, benzophenones, PAHs and acrylamide in participants (from households) with lower educational attainment, while teenagers from households with higher educational attainment have higher exposure levels for PFASs and arsenic. In children, a social gradient was only observed for the non-specific pyrethroid metabolite 3-PBA and di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), with higher levels in children from households with higher educational attainment. Geographical variations were seen for all exposure biomarkers. For 15 biomarkers, the available health-based HBM guidance values were exceeded with highest exceedance rates for toxicologically relevant arsenic in teenagers (40%), 3-PBA in children (36%), and between 11 and 14% for total DON, Σ (PFOA + PFNA + PFHxS + PFOS), bisphenol S and cadmium. The infrastructure and harmonized approach succeeded in obtaining comparable European wide internal exposure data for a prioritized set of 11 chemical groups. These data serve as a reference for comparison at the global level, provide a baseline to compare the efficacy of the European Commission's chemical strategy for sustainability and will give leverage to national policy makers for the implementation of targeted measures.

Original language	English
Article number	114119
Pages (from-to)	114119
Journal	International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Volume	249
Early online date	9 Feb 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119
Publication status	Published - Apr 2023

Keywords

Adults
Children
Exposure biomarkers
HBM4EU
Human biomonitoring (HBM)
Teenagers

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10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

Govarts, E., Gilles, L., Rodriguez Martin, L., Santonen, T., Apel, P., Alvito, P., Anastasi, E., Andersen, H. R., Andersson, A. M., Andryskova, L., Antignac, J. P., Appenzeller, B., Barbone, F., Barnett-Itzhaki, Z., Barouki, R., Berman, T., Bil, W., Borges, T., Buekers, J., ... Schoeters, G. (2023). Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021). International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 249, 114119. Article 114119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119

@article{44d3d0aead5f4874a372b91ff866aeba,

title = "Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)",

abstract = "As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants of three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6–12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12–18 years and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20–39 years. The participants were recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11–12 countries per age group, geographically distributed across Europe. Depending on the age group, internal exposure to phthalates and the substitute DINCH, halogenated and organophosphorus flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), cadmium, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic species, acrylamide, mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (total DON)), benzophenones and selected pesticides was assessed by measuring substance specific biomarkers subjected to stringent quality control programs for chemical analysis. For substance groups analyzed in different age groups higher average exposure levels were observed in the youngest age group, i.e., phthalates/DINCH in children versus teenagers, acrylamide and pesticides in children versus adults, benzophenones in teenagers versus adults. Many biomarkers in teenagers and adults varied significantly according to educational attainment, with higher exposure levels of bisphenols, phthalates, benzophenones, PAHs and acrylamide in participants (from households) with lower educational attainment, while teenagers from households with higher educational attainment have higher exposure levels for PFASs and arsenic. In children, a social gradient was only observed for the non-specific pyrethroid metabolite 3-PBA and di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), with higher levels in children from households with higher educational attainment. Geographical variations were seen for all exposure biomarkers. For 15 biomarkers, the available health-based HBM guidance values were exceeded with highest exceedance rates for toxicologically relevant arsenic in teenagers (40%), 3-PBA in children (36%), and between 11 and 14% for total DON, Σ (PFOA + PFNA + PFHxS + PFOS), bisphenol S and cadmium. The infrastructure and harmonized approach succeeded in obtaining comparable European wide internal exposure data for a prioritized set of 11 chemical groups. These data serve as a reference for comparison at the global level, provide a baseline to compare the efficacy of the European Commission's chemical strategy for sustainability and will give leverage to national policy makers for the implementation of targeted measures.",

keywords = "Adults, Children, Exposure biomarkers, HBM4EU, Human biomonitoring (HBM), Teenagers",

author = "Eva Govarts and Liese Gilles and {Rodriguez Martin}, Laura and Tiina Santonen and Petra Apel and Paula Alvito and Elena Anastasi and Andersen, {Helle Raun} and Andersson, {Anna Maria} and Lenka Andryskova and Antignac, {Jean Philippe} and Brice Appenzeller and Fabio Barbone and Zohar Barnett-Itzhaki and Robert Barouki and Tamar Berman and Wieneke Bil and Teresa Borges and Jurgen Buekers and Ana Ca{\~n}as-Portilla and Adrian Covaci and Zsofia Csako and {Den Hond}, Elly and Darina Dvorakova and Lucia Fabelova and Tony Fletcher and Hanne Frederiksen and Catherine Gabriel and Catherine Ganzleben and Thomas G{\"o}en and Halldorsson, {Thorhallur I.} and Haug, {Line S.} and Milena Horvat and Pasi Huuskonen and Medea Imboden and {Jagodic Hudobivnik}, Marta and Beata Janasik and {Janev Holcer}, Natasa and Spyros Karakitsios and Andromachi Katsonouri and Jana Klanova and Venetia Kokaraki and {Kold Jensen}, Tina and Jani Koponen and Michelle Laeremans and Federica Laguzzi and Rosa Lange and Nora Lemke and Sanna Lignell and Lindroos, {Anna Karin} and {Lobo Vicente}, Joana and Mirjam Luijten and Makris, {Konstantinos C.} and Darja Mazej and Lisa Melymuk and Matthieu Meslin and Hans Mol and Parisa Montazeri and Aline Murawski and S{\'o}nia Namorado and Lars Niemann and Stefanie N{\"u}bler and Baltazar Nunes and Kristin Olafsdottir and {Palkovicova Murinova}, Lubica and Nafsika Papaioannou and Susana Pedraza-Diaz and Pavel Piler and Veronika Plichta and Michael Poteser and Nicole Probst-Hensch and Lo{\"i}c Rambaud and Elke Rauscher-Gabernig and Katarina Rausova and Sylvie Remy and Margaux Riou and Valentina Rosolen and Christophe Rousselle and Maria R{\"u}ther and Denis Sarigiannis and Silva, {Maria J.} and Zdenka {\v S}lejkovec and {Snoj Tratnik}, Janja and Anja Stajnko and Tamas Szigeti and Tarazona, {Jos{\'e} V.} and Cathrine Thomsen and {\v Z}iga Tkalec and Hanna Tolonen and Tomas Trnovec and Maria Uhl and {Van Nieuwenhuyse}, An and Elsa Vasco and Verheyen, {Veerle J.} and Susana Viegas and Vinggaard, {Anne Marie} and Nina Vogel and Katrin Vorkamp and Wojciech Wasowicz and Till Weber and Sona Wimmerova and Marjolijn Woutersen and Philipp Zimmermann and Martin Zvonar and Holger Koch and Marike Kolossa-Gehring and {Esteban L{\'o}pez}, Marta and Argelia Casta{\~n}o and Lorraine Stewart and Ovnair Sepai and Greet Schoeters",

note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank everybody who contributed to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies: the participating children, teenagers, adults and their families, the fieldworkers that collected the samples and database managers that made the information available to HBM4EU, the HBM4EU project partners, especially those from WP7 for developing all materials supporting the fieldwork, WP9 for organizing the QA/QC scheme under HBM4EU and all laboratories who performed the analytical measurements. We would like to acknowledge Sun Kyoung Jung from the National Institute of Environmental Research of South-Korea for providing the KoNEHS Cycle III results (crt adjusted). HBM4EU is co-financed under Horizon 2020 (grant agreement No 733032). The authors thank all principal investigators of the contributing studies for their participation and contribution to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies and the national program owners for their financial support. Further details on funding for all the participating studies can be found in the Supplemental Material, Table S12. Funding Information: The authors would like to thank everybody who contributed to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies: the participating children, teenagers, adults and their families, the fieldworkers that collected the samples and database managers that made the information available to HBM4EU, the HBM4EU project partners, especially those from WP7 for developing all materials supporting the fieldwork, WP9 for organizing the QA/QC scheme under HBM4EU and all laboratories who performed the analytical measurements. We would like to acknowledge Sun Kyoung Jung from the National Institute of Environmental Research of South-Korea for providing the KoNEHS Cycle III results (crt adjusted). HBM4EU is co-financed under Horizon 2020 (grant agreement No 733032). The authors thank all principal investigators of the contributing studies for their participation and contribution to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies and the national program owners for their financial support. Further details on funding for all the participating studies can be found in the Supplemental Material, Table S12 . Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors",

year = "2023",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119",

language = "English",

volume = "249",

pages = "114119",

journal = "International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health",

issn = "1438-4639",

publisher = "Elsevier GmbH",

}

Govarts, E, Gilles, L, Rodriguez Martin, L, Santonen, T, Apel, P, Alvito, P, Anastasi, E, Andersen, HR, Andersson, AM, Andryskova, L, Antignac, JP, Appenzeller, B, Barbone, F, Barnett-Itzhaki, Z, Barouki, R, Berman, T, Bil, W, Borges, T, Buekers, J, Cañas-Portilla, A, Covaci, A, Csako, Z, Den Hond, E, Dvorakova, D, Fabelova, L, Fletcher, T, Frederiksen, H, Gabriel, C, Ganzleben, C, Göen, T, Halldorsson, TI, Haug, LS, Horvat, M, Huuskonen, P, Imboden, M, Jagodic Hudobivnik, M, Janasik, B, Janev Holcer, N, Karakitsios, S, Katsonouri, A, Klanova, J, Kokaraki, V, Kold Jensen, T, Koponen, J, Laeremans, M, Laguzzi, F, Lange, R, Lemke, N, Lignell, S, Lindroos, AK, Lobo Vicente, J, Luijten, M, Makris, KC, Mazej, D, Melymuk, L, Meslin, M, Mol, H, Montazeri, P, Murawski, A, Namorado, S, Niemann, L, Nübler, S, Nunes, B, Olafsdottir, K, Palkovicova Murinova, L, Papaioannou, N, Pedraza-Diaz, S, Piler, P, Plichta, V, Poteser, M, Probst-Hensch, N, Rambaud, L, Rauscher-Gabernig, E, Rausova, K, Remy, S, Riou, M, Rosolen, V, Rousselle, C, Rüther, M, Sarigiannis, D, Silva, MJ, Šlejkovec, Z, Snoj Tratnik, J, Stajnko, A, Szigeti, T, Tarazona, JV, Thomsen, C, Tkalec, Ž, Tolonen, H, Trnovec, T, Uhl, M, Van Nieuwenhuyse, A, Vasco, E, Verheyen, VJ, Viegas, S, Vinggaard, AM, Vogel, N, Vorkamp, K, Wasowicz, W, Weber, T, Wimmerova, S, Woutersen, M, Zimmermann, P, Zvonar, M, Koch, H, Kolossa-Gehring, M, Esteban López, M, Castaño, A, Stewart, L, Sepai, O & Schoeters, G 2023, 'Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)', International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, vol. 249, 114119, pp. 114119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119

Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021). / Govarts, Eva; Gilles, Liese; Rodriguez Martin, Laura et al.
In: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Vol. 249, 114119, 04.2023, p. 114119.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults

T2 - EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

AU - Govarts, Eva

AU - Gilles, Liese

AU - Rodriguez Martin, Laura

AU - Santonen, Tiina

AU - Apel, Petra

AU - Alvito, Paula

AU - Anastasi, Elena

AU - Andersen, Helle Raun

AU - Andersson, Anna Maria

AU - Andryskova, Lenka

AU - Antignac, Jean Philippe

AU - Appenzeller, Brice

AU - Barbone, Fabio

AU - Barnett-Itzhaki, Zohar

AU - Barouki, Robert

AU - Berman, Tamar

AU - Bil, Wieneke

AU - Borges, Teresa

AU - Buekers, Jurgen

AU - Cañas-Portilla, Ana

AU - Covaci, Adrian

AU - Csako, Zsofia

AU - Den Hond, Elly

AU - Dvorakova, Darina

AU - Fabelova, Lucia

AU - Fletcher, Tony

AU - Frederiksen, Hanne

AU - Gabriel, Catherine

AU - Ganzleben, Catherine

AU - Göen, Thomas

AU - Halldorsson, Thorhallur I.

AU - Haug, Line S.

AU - Horvat, Milena

AU - Huuskonen, Pasi

AU - Imboden, Medea

AU - Jagodic Hudobivnik, Marta

AU - Janasik, Beata

AU - Janev Holcer, Natasa

AU - Karakitsios, Spyros

AU - Katsonouri, Andromachi

AU - Klanova, Jana

AU - Kokaraki, Venetia

AU - Kold Jensen, Tina

AU - Koponen, Jani

AU - Laeremans, Michelle

AU - Laguzzi, Federica

AU - Lange, Rosa

AU - Lemke, Nora

AU - Lignell, Sanna

AU - Lindroos, Anna Karin

AU - Lobo Vicente, Joana

AU - Luijten, Mirjam

AU - Makris, Konstantinos C.

AU - Mazej, Darja

AU - Melymuk, Lisa

AU - Meslin, Matthieu

AU - Mol, Hans

AU - Montazeri, Parisa

AU - Murawski, Aline

AU - Namorado, Sónia

AU - Niemann, Lars

AU - Nübler, Stefanie

AU - Nunes, Baltazar

AU - Olafsdottir, Kristin

AU - Palkovicova Murinova, Lubica

AU - Papaioannou, Nafsika

AU - Pedraza-Diaz, Susana

AU - Piler, Pavel

AU - Plichta, Veronika

AU - Poteser, Michael

AU - Probst-Hensch, Nicole

AU - Rambaud, Loïc

AU - Rauscher-Gabernig, Elke

AU - Rausova, Katarina

AU - Remy, Sylvie

AU - Riou, Margaux

AU - Rosolen, Valentina

AU - Rousselle, Christophe

AU - Rüther, Maria

AU - Sarigiannis, Denis

AU - Silva, Maria J.

AU - Šlejkovec, Zdenka

AU - Snoj Tratnik, Janja

AU - Stajnko, Anja

AU - Szigeti, Tamas

AU - Tarazona, José V.

AU - Thomsen, Cathrine

AU - Tkalec, Žiga

AU - Tolonen, Hanna

AU - Trnovec, Tomas

AU - Uhl, Maria

AU - Van Nieuwenhuyse, An

AU - Vasco, Elsa

AU - Verheyen, Veerle J.

AU - Viegas, Susana

AU - Vinggaard, Anne Marie

AU - Vogel, Nina

AU - Vorkamp, Katrin

AU - Wasowicz, Wojciech

AU - Weber, Till

AU - Wimmerova, Sona

AU - Woutersen, Marjolijn

AU - Zimmermann, Philipp

AU - Zvonar, Martin

AU - Koch, Holger

AU - Kolossa-Gehring, Marike

AU - Esteban López, Marta

AU - Castaño, Argelia

AU - Stewart, Lorraine

AU - Sepai, Ovnair

AU - Schoeters, Greet

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank everybody who contributed to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies: the participating children, teenagers, adults and their families, the fieldworkers that collected the samples and database managers that made the information available to HBM4EU, the HBM4EU project partners, especially those from WP7 for developing all materials supporting the fieldwork, WP9 for organizing the QA/QC scheme under HBM4EU and all laboratories who performed the analytical measurements. We would like to acknowledge Sun Kyoung Jung from the National Institute of Environmental Research of South-Korea for providing the KoNEHS Cycle III results (crt adjusted). HBM4EU is co-financed under Horizon 2020 (grant agreement No 733032). The authors thank all principal investigators of the contributing studies for their participation and contribution to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies and the national program owners for their financial support. Further details on funding for all the participating studies can be found in the Supplemental Material, Table S12. Funding Information: The authors would like to thank everybody who contributed to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies: the participating children, teenagers, adults and their families, the fieldworkers that collected the samples and database managers that made the information available to HBM4EU, the HBM4EU project partners, especially those from WP7 for developing all materials supporting the fieldwork, WP9 for organizing the QA/QC scheme under HBM4EU and all laboratories who performed the analytical measurements. We would like to acknowledge Sun Kyoung Jung from the National Institute of Environmental Research of South-Korea for providing the KoNEHS Cycle III results (crt adjusted). HBM4EU is co-financed under Horizon 2020 (grant agreement No 733032). The authors thank all principal investigators of the contributing studies for their participation and contribution to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies and the national program owners for their financial support. Further details on funding for all the participating studies can be found in the Supplemental Material, Table S12 . Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors

PY - 2023/4

Y1 - 2023/4

N2 - As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants of three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6–12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12–18 years and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20–39 years. The participants were recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11–12 countries per age group, geographically distributed across Europe. Depending on the age group, internal exposure to phthalates and the substitute DINCH, halogenated and organophosphorus flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), cadmium, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic species, acrylamide, mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (total DON)), benzophenones and selected pesticides was assessed by measuring substance specific biomarkers subjected to stringent quality control programs for chemical analysis. For substance groups analyzed in different age groups higher average exposure levels were observed in the youngest age group, i.e., phthalates/DINCH in children versus teenagers, acrylamide and pesticides in children versus adults, benzophenones in teenagers versus adults. Many biomarkers in teenagers and adults varied significantly according to educational attainment, with higher exposure levels of bisphenols, phthalates, benzophenones, PAHs and acrylamide in participants (from households) with lower educational attainment, while teenagers from households with higher educational attainment have higher exposure levels for PFASs and arsenic. In children, a social gradient was only observed for the non-specific pyrethroid metabolite 3-PBA and di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), with higher levels in children from households with higher educational attainment. Geographical variations were seen for all exposure biomarkers. For 15 biomarkers, the available health-based HBM guidance values were exceeded with highest exceedance rates for toxicologically relevant arsenic in teenagers (40%), 3-PBA in children (36%), and between 11 and 14% for total DON, Σ (PFOA + PFNA + PFHxS + PFOS), bisphenol S and cadmium. The infrastructure and harmonized approach succeeded in obtaining comparable European wide internal exposure data for a prioritized set of 11 chemical groups. These data serve as a reference for comparison at the global level, provide a baseline to compare the efficacy of the European Commission's chemical strategy for sustainability and will give leverage to national policy makers for the implementation of targeted measures.

AB - As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants of three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6–12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12–18 years and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20–39 years. The participants were recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11–12 countries per age group, geographically distributed across Europe. Depending on the age group, internal exposure to phthalates and the substitute DINCH, halogenated and organophosphorus flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), cadmium, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic species, acrylamide, mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (total DON)), benzophenones and selected pesticides was assessed by measuring substance specific biomarkers subjected to stringent quality control programs for chemical analysis. For substance groups analyzed in different age groups higher average exposure levels were observed in the youngest age group, i.e., phthalates/DINCH in children versus teenagers, acrylamide and pesticides in children versus adults, benzophenones in teenagers versus adults. Many biomarkers in teenagers and adults varied significantly according to educational attainment, with higher exposure levels of bisphenols, phthalates, benzophenones, PAHs and acrylamide in participants (from households) with lower educational attainment, while teenagers from households with higher educational attainment have higher exposure levels for PFASs and arsenic. In children, a social gradient was only observed for the non-specific pyrethroid metabolite 3-PBA and di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), with higher levels in children from households with higher educational attainment. Geographical variations were seen for all exposure biomarkers. For 15 biomarkers, the available health-based HBM guidance values were exceeded with highest exceedance rates for toxicologically relevant arsenic in teenagers (40%), 3-PBA in children (36%), and between 11 and 14% for total DON, Σ (PFOA + PFNA + PFHxS + PFOS), bisphenol S and cadmium. The infrastructure and harmonized approach succeeded in obtaining comparable European wide internal exposure data for a prioritized set of 11 chemical groups. These data serve as a reference for comparison at the global level, provide a baseline to compare the efficacy of the European Commission's chemical strategy for sustainability and will give leverage to national policy makers for the implementation of targeted measures.

KW - Adults

KW - Children

KW - Exposure biomarkers

KW - HBM4EU

KW - Human biomonitoring (HBM)

KW - Teenagers

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147662492&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36773580

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119

DO - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119

M3 - Review article

C2 - 36773580

AN - SCOPUS:85147662492

SN - 1438-4639

VL - 249

SP - 114119

JO - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

JF - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

M1 - 114119

ER -

Govarts E, Gilles L, Rodriguez Martin L, Santonen T, Apel P, Alvito P et al. Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021). International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 2023 Apr;249:114119. 114119. Epub 2023 Feb 9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114119

Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

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