Public health impacts of state-level biomonitoring programs

Biomonitoring for environmental chemicals continues to gain prominence as a tool to understand exposure and guide public health activities. The Environmental Heath Profile of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey now documents US population exposures to hundreds of environmental chemicals. While NHANES is an important national resource it provides no data at the state and local levels. The Association of Public health Laboratories designed the National Biomonitoring Plan to fill this information gap by developing state capacity for biomonitoring. CDC has supported the effort to develop state capacity for biomonitoring through a grant program, currently awarded to California, New York and Washington. In collaboration with CDC and the Association of Public health Laboratories, we conducted an assessment of the three state programs. We developed an interview to explore program activities, public health impacts, communications and public perceptions, and administrative and scientific priorities in the near- and long-term. We interviewed key personnel for each program including Principal Investigators and laboratory directors. We documented each program's progress with a focus on successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Our findings highlight successful strategies for launch and implementation; potential pitfalls; and early public health impacts.