ABSTRACT
It is now possible to measure trace levels of environmental chemicals, their metabolites, and/or related byproducts in human fluids and tissues through a process called human biomonitoring. Though originally developed to monitor the chemical exposures of factory workers in the early 1900s, over the past several decades, the tools and techniques used in biomonitoring have been substantially refined. Biomonitoring data represent something tangible researchers can give back to research participants, and in the contemporary US health culture, where value is placed on knowing one's numbers' even when they may not indicate a clear course of action, research participants often express the desire to receive personal biomonitoring data. Stakeholders who articulated the first narrative' assumed that biomarkers have intrinsic scientific meaning that is not subject to interpretation. In the USA, biomonitoring is used within the contexts of population surveillance, health research, occupational health and safety, environmental health advocacy, and grassroots community efforts.
