Guidance on minimum information requirements (MIR) from designing to reporting human biomonitoring (HBM)

• Author(s): Zare Jeddi, Maryam ; Galea, Karen S. ; Ashley-Martin, Jillian ; Nassif, Julianne ; Pollock, Tyler ; Poddalgoda, Devika ; Kasiotis, Konstantinos M. ; Machera, Kyriaki ; Koch, Holger M. ; López, Marta Esteban ; Chung, Ming Kei ; Kil, Jihyon ; Jones, Kate ; Covaci, Adrian ; Ait Bamai, Yu ; Fernandez, Mariana F. ; Kase, Robert Pasanen ; Louro, Henriqueta ; Silva, Maria J. ; Santonen, Tiina ; Katsonouri, Andromachi ; Castaño, Argelia ; Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam ; Lin, Elizabeth Ziying ; Pollitt, Krystal ; Virgolino, Ana ; Scheepers, Paul T.J. ; Melnyk, Lisa Jo ; Mustieles, Vicente ; Cañas Portilla, Ana Isabel ; Viegas, Susana ; von Goetz, Natalie ; Sepai, Ovnair ; Bird, Emily ; Göen, Thomas ; Fustinoni, Silvia ; Ghosh, Manosij ; Dirven, Hubert ; Kwon, Jung Hwan ; Carignan, Courtney ; Mizuno, Yuki ; Ito, Yuki ; Xia, Yankai ; Nakayama, Shoji F. ; Makris, Konstantinos C. ; Parsons, Patrick J. ; Gonzales, Melissa ; Bader, Michael ; Dusinska, Maria ; Menouni, Aziza ; Duca, Radu Corneliu ; Chbihi, Kaoutar ; Jaafari, Samir El ; Godderis, Lode ; van Nieuwenhuyse, An ; Qureshi, Asif ; Ali, Imran ; Trindade, Carla Costa ; Teixeira, Joao Paulo ; Bartonova, Alena ; Tranfo, Giovanna ; Audouze, Karine ; Verpaele, Steven ; LaKind, Judy ; Mol, Hans ; Bessems, Jos ; Magagna, Barbara ; Waras, Maisarah Nasution ; Connolly, Alison ; Nascarella, Marc ; Yang, Wonho ; Huang, Po Chin ; Lee, Jueun ; Heussen, Henri ; Goksel, Ozlem ; Yunesian, Masud ; Yeung, Leo W.Y. ; Souza, Gustavo ; Vekic, Ana Maria ; Haynes, Erin N. ; Hopf, Nancy B.
• Date: 2025
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/188477
• Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
• Subject(s): Chemical monitoring; Contextual information; Exposome; FAIR; Harmonization; Metadata requirements; Environmental Science(all); SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English
• Contributor(s): Centre for Toxicogenomics and Human Health (ToxOmics); NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (NMS|FCM); Laboratório Associado de Translacção e Inovação para a Saúde Global - LA Real (Pólo ENSP); Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) - Pólo ENSP; Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública (ENSP); Centro de Investigação em Saúde Pública (CISP/PHRC); RUN

Description

Funding Information: We would like to thank all the experts active in the International Society for Exposure Science (ISES) European Regional Chapter, working group on Human biomonitoring (ISES Europe HBM working group) and the HBM Global Network for their support and contributions. Additionally, special thanks to ECETOC for supporting this initiative and development of www.FAIREHR.com platform. Ethical approval was not required for the work reported in this manuscript as this did not involve human subjects, human material, or human data, nor experiments on live vertebrates and/or higher invertebrates. The findings and conclusions in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of their employers or any agency of the U.S. Government. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the EPA, CDC, or the US Department of Health and Human Services. The research presented was not performed or funded by EPA and was not subject to EPA's quality system requirements. No financial assistance was received in support of this work. Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors

Human biomonitoring (HBM) provides an integrated chemical exposures assessment considering all routes and sources of exposure. The accurate interpretation and comparability of biomarkers of exposure and effect depend on harmonized, quality-assured sampling, processing, and analysis. Currently, the lack of broadly accepted guidance on minimum information required for collecting and reporting HBM data, hinders comparability between studies. Furthermore, it prevents HBM from reaching its full potential as a reliable approach for assessing and managing the risks of human exposure to chemicals. The European Chapter of the International Society of Exposure Science HBM Working Group (ISES Europe HBM working group) has established a global human biomonitoring community network (HBM Global Network) to develop a guidance to define the minimum information to be collected and reported in HBM, called the “Minimum Information Requirements for Human Biomonitoring (MIR-HBM)”. This work builds on previous efforts to harmonize HBM worldwide. The MIR-HBM guidance covers all phases of HBM from the design phase to the effective communication of results. By carefully defining MIR for all phases, researchers and health professionals can make their HBM studies and programs are robust, reproducible, and meaningful. Acceptance and implementation of MIR-HBM Guidelines in both the general population and occupational fields would improve the interpretability and regulatory utility of HBM data. While implementation challenges remain—such as varying local capacities, and ethical and legal differences at the national levels, this initiative represents an important step toward harmonizing HBM practice and supports an ongoing dialogue among policymakers, legal experts, and scientists to effectively address these challenges. Leveraging the data and insights from HBM, policymakers can develop more effective strategies to protect public health and ensure safer working environments.