Overview
Biomarkers of exposure assessment are measurable biological indicators that quantify an organism's contact with, uptake of, or internal dose from an environmental, occupational, or lifestyle agent. They occupy the exposure end of the exposure–effect–susceptibility framework in molecular epidemiology and toxicology, providing objective alternatives to questionnaire-based or ambient estimates of exposure. Such biomarkers include the parent compound or its metabolites measured in accessible matrices such as blood, urine, saliva, or exhaled breath, as well as stable adducts formed with proteins or DNA, and increasingly molecular signatures such as altered microRNA or long non-coding RNA profiles. A representative example is the urinary metabolite trans,trans-muconic acid, used as a biomarker of benzene exposure in occupationally exposed populations. Effective biomarkers are selected for specificity to the agent, sensitivity at relevant doses, known toxicokinetics, and a defined relationship to external exposure, allowing reconstruction of internal dose and integration of multiple exposure routes. By linking environmental and occupational hazards, including tobacco and alcohol, to measurable internal burden, exposure biomarkers strengthen dose–response characterisation, risk assessment, and the identification of populations at elevated risk of disease, including cancer. Their development draws on analytical chemistry, immunoassays, and emerging high-throughput omics and modelling platforms.
Research published in this journal
5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
Assessment of Traffic Policemen Exposure To Benzene by Using Trans, Trans-Muconic Acid Biomarker in Ahvaz City, Iran
Long Non-Coding RNAs Emerging as Potential Epigenetic Biomarkers for Tobacco and/or Alcohol-Induced Head and Neck Cancer
The Current Immunoassays and Emerging Immunogenomic Approaches for Immunomonitoring Cancer and Infectious Diseases
Dynamic MicroRNA-Expression in Plasma of Melanoma Patients Correlates With Progression, PD-L1 Status and Overall Survival
How this research is being cited
The 5 articles above have been cited 6 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
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2026 · Human Gene
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2026 · Gene Reports
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CFTR-mediated monocyte/macrophage dysfunction revealed by cystic fibrosis proband-parent comparisons2022 · JCI Insight
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CFTR-mediated monocyte/macrophage dysfunction revealed by cystic fibrosis proband-parent comparisons2022 · JCI Insight
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2021 · medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
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CFTR-mediated monocyte-macrophage dysfunction revealed by cystic fibrosis proband-parent comparisonsX. Zhang et al. · 2021 · medRxiv
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Biomarkers of Exposure Assessment, linking to each citing work.