"New Frontiers -- and Limitations -- in Testing People's Bodies for Chemicals"

"New horizons in biomonitoring are identifying environmental exposures that may play a role in health problems, including cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. At their fingertips, researchers already have precise measurements of nearly 150 chemicals in several thousand American adults and children. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to release even more extensive data, and expand its reach by testing 500 umbilical cords, which will allow scientists to determine which chemicals babies are exposed to in the womb. Biomonitoring "is a game changer in environmental health," said Thomas Burke of Johns Hopkins University. Nevertheless, actual use of the information hasn't yet fulfilled its potential. "

Harvey Black reports for Environmental Health News December 2, 2009.