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California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program
News
- October 24, 2008 CECBP Scientific Guidance Panel Meeting transcript now available
[12/30/08] - CECBP Scientific Guidance Panel Meeting will be held on March 2, 2009
[12/18/08] - December 4th and 5th 2008 CECBP Scientific Guidance Panel Meeting agenda, materials, and link to webcast
[12/12/08]
What is biomonitoring?
Biomonitoring is the measurement of chemicals (or their metabolites) in a person’s body fluids or tissues, such as blood or urine. It tells us the amount of the chemical that actually gets into people from all sources (for example, from air, soil, water, dust, and food) combined. Because of this, biomonitoring can provide useful information on how much exposure to toxic chemicals a person has had.
The purpose of the Biomonitoring Program
The purpose of the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program, also called the CECBP or California Biomonitoring Program, is to:
- Evaluate the presence of toxic chemicals in a representative sample of Californians
- Establish trends in the levels of these chemicals over time
- Assess the effectiveness of public health efforts and regulatory programs to decrease exposures to specific chemicals.
Multi-Agency Program
The California Biomonitoring Program is a collaborative effort of three departments in two State agencies:
- California Department Public Health (CDPH) www.cdph.ca.gov in the Health and Human Services Agency. CDPH is the lead department for the California Biomonitoring Program.
- California Environmental Protection Agency’s (Cal/EPA)’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) www.oehha.ca.gov and Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). www.dtsc.ca.gov
Created by Legislation Passed in 2006
The California Biomonitoring Program was established by Senate Bill 1379, authored by Senator Don Perata and Senator Deborah Ortiz, which was passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2006. Link to legislation (pdf)
Scientific Peer Review
A panel of experts, the Scientific Guidance Panel, will provide scientific peer review and recommendations for the California Biomonitoring Program.
Potential Research Collaborators – Project Description Form Due November 1, 2008
The California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (CECBP) is seeking to collaborate with researchers who have collected urine or blood specimens from California residents since 2003. The goals are to provide the CECBP laboratories with an opportunity to pilot the use of the new equipment, to explore the feasibility of analyzing certain chemicals on a larger scale, and to add value to ongoing epidemiological or exposure assessment studies. Researchers interested in collaborating with the CECBP should contact Ms. Marta Lutsky at marta.lutsky@cdph.ca.gov for a Project Description Form.
The form should be completed and returned by November 1, 2008. Please share this information with others whom you believe might have an interest in collaborating with the CECBP.
