Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Chemicals and Toxics
    • Climate Change
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Environmental Justice
    • Greener Living
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Pesticides
    • Radon
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Guidance
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • EPA Administrator
    • Organization Chart
    • Staff Directory
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Jobs and Internships
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Lab and Research Centers
America's Children and the Environment (ACE)
Contact Us

ACE3 Draft Indicators: Biomonitoring

The following information was provided by EPA in conjunction with the opportunity for public comment on the draft indicators for ACE3, which ran from March 8 – April 21, 2011. The public comment period is now closed.

Biomonitoring is the measurement of chemicals in human body fluids and tissues, such as blood, urine, breast milk, saliva, and hair. By obtaining measurements of pollutants in children, biomonitoring can be used to evaluate children’s exposure to environmental contaminants. Determining the levels of pollutants in women who may become pregnant, currently are pregnant, or currently are breastfeeding can be used to evaluate exposure to developing fetuses and infants.

The draft indicators for America’s Children and the Environment, Third Edition (ACE3) include biomonitoring indicators that were developed using data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The ACE3 biomonitoring indicators summarize NHANES biomonitoring measurements in children and women of child-bearing age for a number of chemicals that are important to children’s environmental health.

A separate draft document is available for each ACE3 biomonitoring topic. Each document includes an introduction describing the importance of the topic to children’s environmental health. The document also includes a section describing how the indicators were calculated using biomonitoring data from NHANES. Data for each indicator are presented in a graph. The graphs present the median values (50th percentile) for all topics and, in some cases, the 95th percentile values. These values are meant to represent typical and high end exposures, respectively. Many of the biomonitoring indicators present time series data. Where data over time are unavailable, the indicators present comparisons across demographic groups using the most current data available. Beneath each figure are explanatory bullet points highlighting key findings. Following the indicator figures and bullet points, each document provides data tables, references, metadata, and details of how the indicators were calculated.

Detailed background on the ACE3 biomonitoring indicators

THIS INFORMATION IS DISTRIBUTED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRE-DISSEMINATION PEER REVIEW UNDER APPLICABLE INFORMATION QUALITY GUIDELINES. IT HAS NOT BEEN FORMALLY DISSEMINATED BY EPA. IT DOES NOT REPRESENT AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED TO REPRESENT ANY AGENCY DETERMINATION OR POLICY.

The ACE3 biomonitoring indicators address the following topics:

  • Lead (pdf)
  • Mercury (pdf)
  • Cotinine (a marker for environmental tobacco smoke exposure) (pdf)
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) (pdf)
  • Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) (pdf)
  • Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) (pdf)
  • Perchlorate (pdf)
  • Phthalates (pdf)
  • Bisphenol A (pdf)
  • America’s Children and the Environment Home
  • Basic Information
  • Key Findings
  • Frequent Questions
  • Environments and Contaminants
  • Biomonitoring
  • Health
  • Supplementary Topics
  • Publications
  • Review Documents
    • Biomonitoring
    • Environments and Contaminants
    • Health
    • Special Features
  • Related Topics and Links
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on October 29, 2021
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data.gov
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Open Government
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions

Follow.