Biomonitoring for occupational health risk assessment

M. Manno - University of Naples Federico II

(in lingua inglese) One of the most critical elements in developing a valid biomarker is the quality of the method used. This depends on a number of factors. Besides sensitivity and specificity (also called selectivity), one has to consider the following: • the limit/range of detection, i.e. the lowest and the highest level or concentration of the chemical correctly measured by the method; • the accuracy, i.e. the ratio of the measured value to the true value, the difference indicating the error of the measurement. Accuracy depends on the chemical to be measured, the method and the instrumentation used, and the operator.