Abstract
This article aims to introduce biological monitoring, which has been carried out in Japan for 25 years. Biological monitoring in occupational health is an assessment of the overall exposure to chemicals that are present in the workplace through measurement of the appropriate determinants in biological specimens in workers. Lead in blood and urinary δ-aminolevulinic acid in the urine of workers who handle lead, and urinary metabolites of workers who handle 8 kinds of organic solvents, are mandatory measurements. In 2013, insium and compounds, etheylbenzene (only coating workers), and cobalt and inorganic compounds were added to biological monitoring subjects, alongside the ordinal ones of specified chemical substances. Occupational physicians are required to carry out biological monitoring according to standardized protocols in order to correctly utilize biological monitoring results for occupational health management.
