In 1955 the Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (MAK Commission) was founded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The Commission is responsible for analysing health risks by chemical exposure at the workplace and for advising public authorities accordingly. Within the Commission, the working group "Analyses of Hazardous Substances in Biological Materials" (AiBM) deals with the development of procedures to analyse chemical substances in biological materials. Most of these detailed, ready-to-use protocols for human biomonitoring, do not only enable the monitoring of occupational exposure, but also the determination of the background exposure in the general population. The AiBM working group applies a multi-stage process to develop and evaluate human biomonitoring methods. As a matter of special importance, every method is tested by at least one examiner to ensure reproducibility of the analytical procedure and of the reliability data. Submitted methods and examination reports are discussed within the working group. The positively proved methods, if satisfactory, are adopted for publication. Otherwise, they are given back to the author with the demand for revision. In case of fundamental drawbacks, methods are rejected. The adopted methods are published in German and in English at regular intervals. Since 1985 the working group has published 129 analytical methods (plus 11 methods for markers of susceptibility) in 12 issues of the English edition. The detection limits of eighty methods allow the analyses of background exposure for one or more parameters. About forty methods were specially designed for the application in population studies. Particularly relevant method examples are the determination of the metabolites of organophosphate pesticides, pyrethroides and phthalates in urine as well as the determination of perfluorinated compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls in serum.
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