68 Human Biomonitoring (HBM) for emergency responders - Basic considerations, a practical approach and lessons learned

Abstract Chemical incidents such as fires of different types and sizes as well as accidental spills and leakages, or the unintended release of hazardous substances into the environment are typical scenarios that require an emergency response. The potential hazard and health risk caused by exposure to chemical substances has been discussed and reviewed repeatedly in recent years. According to an evaluation by the International Agency on Cancer Research (IARC), the work as a firefighter is classified as Group 1 carcinogenic. Therefore, the quantitative analysis and assessment of exposure to hazardous chemicals after incidents has received an increasing interest among firefighters and health and safety authorities in disaster management. Human biomonitoring (HBM), the analysis of hazardous substances or their metabolites in human biological material such as blood and urine, is one meaningful approach for the assessment of individual exposure. The practical application, however, requires a certain degree of preparedness, accessibility of resources, and a transparent decision process. This presentation describes the basics of HBM (selection of parameters, sampling, storage, assessment values), the challenges (sampling time limitations, transport issues, interpretation, report chains) as well as examples of already established emergency HBM systems within the chemical industry and beyond. The lessons learned from several small-scale operations up to major accidents point out to the paramount role of preparedness (sampling material, questionnaires, laboratory network) and the communication of results. In essence, HBM after chemical incidents is a well-established and valuable tool for exposure assessment and risk communication if basic requirements are met.