Exposure reference values
Development strategy, scope, limits of use… everything you need to know about the role and derivation of exposure reference values for the various populations studied in biomonitoring studies
Exposure reference values make it possible to determine whether an individual or a group of people has been exposed to higher levels of chemicals than those observed in the general French population.
One of the objectives of the national biomonitoring program led by Santé publique France is to develop exposure reference values (ERVs) for the French population. These ERVs represent the reference level of exposure of the French population, or specific population subgroups, to a given substance at a given time.
The scope and limitations of VREs
The use of VREs allows for:
Compare measured contamination levels at the local and/or international level
Provide decision-making support for the implementation of management measures tailored to the contexts under study
Evaluate the effectiveness of public policies implemented to limit exposure to chemicals of concern.
However, these VREs do not allow for the direct characterization of the health risk associated with a given exposure level.
A French strategy for developing VREs to ensure international comparability
To establish a standardized framework for developing French VREs and ensure good comparability with international values, it was necessary to define a strategy for developing VREs based on French biomonitoring data.
This strategy is based on an analysis of options used internationally and draws inspiration from the choices adopted by the majority of scientific experts in human biomonitoring worldwide (Germany, Canada, the Czech Republic, Brazil, etc.), namely the use of the 95th percentile of the distribution of exposure levels for the development of VREs. The successive application of exclusion, authorization, and partitioning criteria to biomonitoring data ensures the production of standardized French VREs that are internationally comparable. The efforts undertaken as part of this work have contributed to the definition of a European strategy for developing VREs within the framework of the HBM4EU project.
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rapport/synthèse
7 June 2019
Development of exposure reference values based on biomonitoring data
The various exposure reference values established for different population groups (pregnant women, children, and adults) based on biomonitoring studies conducted by Santé publique France are presented below.
In addition to these reference exposure values for metals, the reports include all population distributions for individuals aged 18 to 74 living in mainland France in 2006–2007, covering metals as well as certain pesticides and PCBs.
Learn more:
| Biomarkers | Target population, mainland France | VRE |
|---|---|---|
| Urinary antimony | Ages 18 to 74 | 0.30 µg/g of creatinine |
| Inorganic arsenic and its two metabolites (Asi + MMA + DMA) in urine | Ages 18 to 74 who have not consumed fish in the 72 hours prior to sampling | 10 µg/g of creatinine |
| Urinary cadmium | Under 40 years of age, non-smoker | 0.50 µg/g of creatinine |
| Non-smoking men over 40 | 0.7 µg/g of creatinine | |
| Non-smoking women over 40 | 1.2 µg/g of creatinine | |
| Urinary chromium | under 60 years of age | 0.50 µg/g of creatinine |
| 60 years and older | 1 µg/g of creatinine | |
| Urinary cobalt | Men aged 18 to 74 and women aged 60 and older | 0.7 µg/g of creatinine |
| Women under 60 | 2 µg/g of creatinine | |
| Urinary tin | Men aged 18 to 74 | 4 µg/g of creatinine |
| Mercury in hair | Children aged 6 to 17 | 1.5 µg/g of hair |
| 18 to 60 years | 2.5 µg/g of hair | |
| 60 years and older | 3.5 µg/g of hair | |
| Urinary nickel | 18 to 74 years | 4 µg/g of creatinine |
| Blood lead | Women and men under 40 | 70 µg/L |
| Men over 40 | 120 µg/L | |
| Urinary uranium | Ages 18 to 74 | 25 ng/g of creatinine |
| Urinary vanadium | 18 to 74 years | 4 µg/g of creatinine |
Based on the Elfe cohort (2011) for pregnant women and on the Esteban study (2014–2016) for adults aged 18–74 and children aged 6–17.
In addition to these exposure reference values, the reports provide all distributions for the population living in mainland France in 2014–2016 aged 6 to 74.
Regarding the six families of everyday products:
Exposure of the French population to phthalates, national biomonitoring program, ESTEBAN 2014–2016
Exposure of the French population to parabens, National Biomonitoring Program, ESTEBAN 2014–2016
Regarding metals:
Exposure of the French population to herbicides. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014-2016.
Exposure of the French population to pyrethroids. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014-2016.
Exposure of the French population to carbamates. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014-2016.
Exposure of the French population to copper. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014-2016.
Exposure of the French population to arsenic. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014-2016.
Cadmium exposure in the French population. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014-2016.
Mercury exposure in the French population. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014–2016.
Nickel exposure in the French population. National Biomonitoring Program, Esteban 2014-2016.
Regarding lead:
Regarding organic pollutants and metals in women who gave birth in 2011:
Download: Exposure reference values applied for each available biomarker, by study population (table)
