Biological monitoring in surveillance of exposure to genotoxicants.

Biological monitoring comprises analysis of samples taken of individuals with presumed or known exposures in order to estimate either the body uptake of a toxicant or to detect reversible effects of the exposure. In medical surveillance, biological monitoring is a preventive tool whose function is either to identify the hazardous exposures, or the early biological effects of such exposures. Biological monitoring is of special importance in identifying exposures to genotoxicants, for which no safe thresholds are known and the effects of which are prone to large interindividual variations. Both the uptake of the genotoxicant(s) and their biological effect should be considered determinants of the hazard potential of the exposure. Thus the occurrence of either one of these phenomena is a reason for preventive health measures.