In modern societies, humans may be exposed to a wide spectrum of environmental chemicals. Although for many chemicals the health significance of this exposure is unknown, studies to investigate the prevalence of exposure are warranted because of some chemicals’ potential harmful health effects, as often indicated in animal studies. Biomonitoring programs are useful for investigating human exposure to environmental chemicals.  This lecture will review one of these programs, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is conducted annually in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is designed to collect data on the health and nutritional status of the non-institutionalized, civilian U.S. population.

Dr. Antonia Calafat is the Chief of the Organic Analytical Toxicology Branch at the Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to her career at CDC, she was a Fulbright Scholar and a Research Associate at Emory University. She currently leads CDC’s biomonitoring programs for assessing human exposure to pesticides; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; persistent organic pollutants such as polyfluoroalkyl compounds; polybrominated diphenyl ethers; and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, furans, and biphenyls; and chemicals added to consumer and personal-care products such as phthalates and phenols. She has developed and maintained extensive collaborative research with leading scientists in the fields of exposure science, epidemiology, toxicology and health assessment. Her research has made relevant contributions to CDC’s biomonitoring program including the CDC’s National Reports on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals.