Summary: | Biomarkers of effect are measurable changes in an individual that indicate health impairment or disease. Although biomarkers have long been a crucial part of medical practice - blood pressure is a simple example - researchers have recently identified a variety of new biomarkers that signal the presence of conditions such as nervous system damage, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. Of particular interest is the potential of these new biomarkers to measure adverse health effects that may arise from exposure to environmental pollutants. On August 12-13, 2020, the Standing Committee on the Use of Emerging Science for Environmental Health Decisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 2-day workshop to explore how new biomarker approaches can be applied to understanding the consequences of environmental exposures and improve environmental health decisions. The workshop brought together a multidisciplinary group, including experts in public health, environmental health, clinical medicine, and health disparities to discuss the state of the art in biomarkers and health. This Proceedings of a Workshop-in Brief summarizes the workshop presentations and the discussions that took place among the participants
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