We have developed a unique human biomonitoring program that uses surplus pathology samples that would otherwise be discarded. By combining (or “pooling”) these samples, the program can track chemical exposures across the Australian population at low cost and without placing any burden on individuals. This approach also avoids many ethical challenges because no new samples are collected. The program has already contributed to our understanding of how Australians are exposed to a broad range of environmental pollutants.
Despite these strengths, important questions remain. In particular, it is not yet clear how well pooled pathology samples represent exposure levels in the general population, or how differences between individuals are reflected once samples are pooled. Addressing these uncertainties is essential to ensure that results are reliable and can be used to inform public health decisions.
This project will address these gaps by comparing results from the pooled pathology samples with samples collected from a nationally representative group of Australians through the National Health Measurement Survey. The project will validate and refine the use of pooled pathology samples for human biomonitoring. Ultimately, this work will strengthen methods for assessing population exposure to environmental pollutants and improve our understanding of potential risks to humans and the environment.
