title: Human biomonitoring pilot study DEMOCOPHES in Germany: Contribution to a harmonized European approach.
abstract: Human biomonitoring (HBM) is an effective tool to assess human exposure to environmental pollutants, but comparable HBM data in Europe are lacking. In order to expedite harmonization of HBM studies on a European scale, the twin projects COPHES (Consortium to Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale) and DEMOCOPHES (Demonstration of a study to Coordinate and Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale) were formed, comprising 35 partners from 27 European countries. In COPHES a research scheme and guidelines were developed to exemplarily measure in a pilot study mercury in hair, cadmium, cotinine and several phthalate metabolites in urine of 6-11year old children and their mothers in an urban and a rural region. Seventeen European countries simultaneously conducted this cross-sectional DEMOCOPHES feasibility study. The German study population was taken in the city of Bochum and in the Higher Sauerland District, comprising 120 mother-child pairs. In the present paper features of the study implementation are presented. German exposure concentrations of the pollutants are reported and compared with European average concentrations from DEMOCOPHES and with those measured in the representative German Environmental Survey (GerES IV). German DEMOCOPHES concentrations for mercury and cotinine were lower than the European average. However, 47% of the children were still exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) outside their home, which gives further potential for enhancing protection of children from ETS. Compared with samples from the other European countries German participating children had lower concentrations of the phthalate metabolites MEP and of the sum of 3 DEHP-metabolites (MEHP, 5OH-MEHP and 5oxo-MEHP), about the same concentrations of the phthalate metabolites MBzP and MiBP and higher concentrations of the phthalate metabolite MnBP. 2.5% of the German children had concentrations of the sum of 4 DEHP-metabolites and 4.2% had concentrations of MnBP that exceeded health based guidance values, indicating reasons for concern. Continuous HBM is necessary to track changes of pollutant exposure over time. Therefore Germany will continue to cooperate on the harmonisation of European human biomonitoring to support the chemicals regulation with the best possible exposure data to protect Europe's people against environmental health risks.
authors.affiliation: German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: gerda.schwedler@uba.de.
authors.forename: Gerda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schwedler
authors.affiliation: German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Margarete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seiwert
authors.affiliation: German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fiddicke
authors.affiliation: German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Sissy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ißleb
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Social and Environmental Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hölzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Social and Environmental Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nendza
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Social and Environmental Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Social and Environmental Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wittsiepe
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.affiliation: Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine (IPASUM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Göen
authors.affiliation: Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine (IPASUM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hildebrand
authors.affiliation: BiPRO GmbH, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joas
authors.affiliation: BiPRO GmbH, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joas
authors.affiliation: University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ludwine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casteleyn
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Angerer
authors.affiliation: National Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Argelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castano
authors.affiliation: National Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Greet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schoeters
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Den Hond
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Chilton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ovnair
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sepai
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Chilton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Exley
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Science International, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bloemen
authors.affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lisbeth E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.affiliation: German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Marike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolossa-Gehring
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002104:Cadmium / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000652:urine; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D002104:Cadmium; D008628:Mercury; D003367:Cotinine
keywords: Cadmium; Cotinine; DEMOCOPHES/COPHES; Germany; Human biomonitoring; Mercury; Phthalates