Biomonitoring

Human Biomonitoring Services

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Unlocking Insights with 70+ Methods and 100+ Biomarkers
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Our biomarker methods
| Biomarker | Exposure to | Matrix | Analytical Technique | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OH-Phe) | Phenanthrene | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 1-Hydroxypyrene (1-OH-Pyr) | Pyrene | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 1-Naphthol (1-Hydroxynaphthalene, 1-OH-Nap) | Naphthalene | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 2-(4-amino-2-hydroxybenzoyl)benzoic acid (AHB) | DHHB (UV filter) | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 2-(4-diethylamino-2-hydroxybenzoyl)benzoic acid (DHB) | DHHB (UV filter) | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 2-(4-ethylamino-2-hydroxybenzoyl)benzoic acid (EHB) | DHHB (UV filter) | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 2-Hydroxy-1-phenylethylmercapturic acid (PHEMA 1) | Styrene | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 2-Hydroxy-2-phenylethylmercapturic acid (PHEMA 2) | Styrene | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 2-Hydroxyethylmercapturic acid (HEMA) | Ethylene oxide, Alkylating agents | Urine | LC-MS/MS | |
| 2-Hydroxyfluorene (2-OH-Flu) | Fluorene | Urine | LC-MS/MS |
Review of biomarkers to assess the effects of switching from cigarettes to modified risk tobacco products
Peck MJ, Sanders EB, Scherer G, Luedicke F, Weitkunat R
Biomarkers, Volume 23(3), doi: 10.1080/1354750X.2017.1419284
Saliva as a matrix for human biomonitoring in occupational and environmental medicine
Michalke B, Rossbach B, Göen T, Schäferhenrich A, Scherer G
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, volume 88, doi: 10.1007/s00420-014-0938-5
A Sensitive LC–MS/MS Method for the Quantification of 3-Hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene in Urine-Exposure Assessment in Smokers and Users of Potentially Reduced-Risk Products
Rögner N, Hagedorn H-W, Scherer G, Scherer M, Pluym N
Separations, 8(10), 171, doi: 10.3390/separations8100171
Analysis of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene in urine as a biomarker of exposure for benzo[a]pyrene in smokers and users of potentially reduced risk products
Rögner N, Scherer M, Scherer G, Pluym N
Global Forum on Nicotine 2021, Virtual
Analysis of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene in urine as a biomarker of exposure for benzo[a]pyrene in smokers and users of potentially reduced risk products
Scherer M, Rögner N, Scherer G, Pluym N
CORESTA SSPT 2021, Virtual
Time trend of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons between 1995 and 2019 in Germany – Showcases for successful European legislation
Therese Burkhardt, Max Scherer, Gerhard Scherer, Nikola Pluym, Till Weber, Marike Kolossa-Gehring
Environmental Research, doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114638
A correlation study applied to biomarkers of internal and effective dose for acrylonitrile and 4-aminobiphenyl in smokers
Scherer G, Newland K, Papadopoulou E, Minet E
Biomarkers, Volume 19(4), doi: 10.3109/1354750X.2014.910271
Clinical biomarkers of compliance for use in potentially reduced-risk product switching studies
McEwan M, Gale N, Hardie G, Scherer M, Pluym N, Ebajemito JK, Camacho OM, Griffiths A, Proctor CJ
CORESTA SSPT 2019, Hamburg, Germany
Identification of use specific hemoglobin adduct patterns for different tobacco/nicotine product user groups by non targeted GC-MS/MS analysis
Max Scherer, Fabian Pilz, Therese Burkhardt, Gerhard Scherer, Nikola Pluym
ISES Workshop 2024, Berlin, Germany
Identification of use-specific hemoglobin adduct patterns for different tobacco/nicotine product user groups by non-targeted GC-MS/MS analysis
Max Scherer, Fabian Pilz, Therese Burkhardt, Gerhard Scherer, Nikola Pluym
CORESTA Congress 2024, Edinburgh, UK
Urinary Mercapturic Acids and a Hemoglobin Adduct for the Dosimetry of Acrylamide Exposure in Smokers and Nonsmokers
Urban M, Kavvadias D, Riedel K, Scherer G, Tricker AR
Inhalation Toxicology, Volume 18, doi: 10.1080/08958370600748430
Identification of Specific Hemoglobin Adduct Patterns in Users of Different Tobacco/nicotine Products by Nontargeted GC−MS/MS Analysis
Fabian Pilz, Therese Burkhardt, Gerhard Scherer, Max Scherer, Nikola Pluym
Chemical Research in Toxicology
A novel quantification method for sulfur-containing biomarkers of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde exposure in human urine and plasma samples
Landmesser A, Scherer G, Pluym N, Niessner R, Scherer M
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, volume 412, doi: 10.1007/s00216-020-02888-y
Analysis of aldehydes, propylene oxide and glycidol in tobacco smoke and e-cigarette vapor and their respective urinary biomarkers
Landmesser A, Scherer G, Pluym N, Scherer M
CORESTA SSPT 2019, Hamburg, Germany
Novel biomarkers to characterize exposure to aldehydes from e-vapor products based on stable-isotope constituents
Landmesser A, Scherer M, Scherer G, Sarkar M, Edmiston J, Pluym N
CORESTA Congress 2018, Kunming, China
Novel biomarkers to characterize the specific exposure to aldehydes or epoxides from e-vapor products based on stable-isotope labeled constituents
Landmesser A, Scherer M, Scherer G, Pluym N
SRNT 2019, San Francisco, USA
Analytical methods for the determination of carbonyls in aerosol from e-vapor products and cigarette smoke and their urinary biomarkers of exposure
Landmesser A, Scherer M, Scherer G, Pluym N
CORESTA Congress 2018, Kunming, China
Assessing the exposure to ‘smoke’ from electronic cigarettes by biomarkers
Scherer G, Hagedorn H-W, Riedel K, Scherer M
CORESTA SSPT 2013, Seville, Spain
Biomarkers of Exposure Specific to E-vapor Products Based on Stable-Isotope Labeled Ingredients
Landmesser A, Scherer M, Pluym N, Sarkar M, Edmiston J, Niessner R, Scherer G
Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 21, doi: 10.1093/ntr/nty204
Biomarkers of exposure specific to e-vapor products based on stable-isotope labeled ingredients
Landmesser A, Scherer M, Scherer G, Sarkar M, Edmiston J, Pluym N
SRNT 2018, Baltimore, USA
Biomarkers of exposure specific to e-vapor products based on stable-isotope labelled ingredients – methods
Landmesser A, Pluym N, Scherer G, Sarkar M, Edmiston J, Scherer M
CORESTA SSPT 2017, Kitzbühel, Austria
Biomarkers of exposure specific to e-vapor products based on stable-isotope labelled ingredients–results
Landmesser A, Scherer M, Scherer G, Sarkar M, Edmiston J, Pluym N
CORESTA SSPT 2017, Kitzbühel, Austria
Biomarkers of exposure specific to e-vapor products based on stable-isotope labelled ingredients–study design
Landmesser A, Pluym N, Scherer G, Sarkar M, Edmiston J, Scherer M
CORESTA SSPT 2017, Kitzbühel, Austria
Collaborative Method Performance Study of the Measurement of Nicotine, Its Metabolites, and Total Nicotine Equivalents in Human Urine
Wang L, Bernert JT, Benowitz NL, Feng J, Jacob P 3rd, McGahee E, Caudill SP, Scherer G, Scherer M, Pluym N, Doig MV, Newland K, Murphy SE, Caron NJ, Sander LC, Shimizu M, Yamazaki H, Kim S, Langman LJ, Pritchett JS, Sniegoski LT, Li Y, Blount BC, Pirkle JL
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Volume 27, doi: 10.1158/1055-9965
Simple, fast and sensitive LC-MS/MS analysis for the simultaneous quantification of nicotine and 10 of its major metabolites
Piller M, Gilch G, Scherer G, Scherer M
Journal of Chromatography B, Volumes 951–952, doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2014.01.025
Ultra-sensitive method for the determination of nicotine in PK studies with next generation products
Wanderer F, Pluym N, Scherer G, Scherer M
CORESTA Congress 2016, Berlin, Germany
Untargeted metabolomic profiling in saliva of smokers and nonsmokers by a validated GC-TOF-MS method
Mueller DC, Piller M, Niessner R, Scherer M, Scherer G
Journal of Proteome Research, Volume 13, doi: 10.1021/pr401099r
Urinary cotinine and exposure to passive smoke in children and adolescents in Germany – Human biomonitoring results of the German Environmental Survey 2014–2017 (GerES V)
Domenica Hahn, Maria Schmied-Tobies, Enrico Rucic, Nikola Pluym, Max Scherer, Malgorzata Debiak, Aline Murawski, Marike Kolossa-Gehring
Environmental Research doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.114320
The impact of European legislation on the reduction of Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons between 1995 and 2019 in Germany
Therese Burkhardt, Max Scherer, Gerhard Scherer, Till Weber, Nikola Pluym, Marike Kolossa-Gehring
ISES 2022, Lisbon
Assessment of nicotine delivery and uptake in users of various tobacco / nicotine products
Scherer G, Mütze J, Pluym N, Scherer M
Current Research in Toxicology, Volume 3, 100067
Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE): Potential Application for Assessing the Use of Conventional and New Generation Tobacco and Nicotine Products
Gerhard Scherer, Nikola Pluym, Max Scherer
Contributions to Tobacco & Nicotine Research
Assessment of the Exposure to Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines and Minor Tobacco Alkaloids in Users of Various Tobacco/Nicotine Products
Scherer G, Scherer M, Mütze J, Hauke T, Pluym N
Chemical Research in Toxicology, doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.2c00020
Determination of tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines in urine of smokers and non-smokers
Kavvadias D, Scherer G, Cheung F, Errington G, Shepperd J, McEwan M
Biomarkers, Volume 14, doi: 10.3109/13547500903242883
Simultaneous determination of four tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA) in human urine
Kavvadias D, Scherer G, Urban M, Cheung F, Errington G, Shepperd J, McEwan M
Journal of Chromatography B, Volume 877, doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2009.03.009
Assessment of the Exposure to NNN in the Plasma of Smokeless Tobacco Users
Pluym N, Scherer G, Edmiston J, Jin X, Sarkar M, Scherer M
Chemical Research in Toxicology, doi:10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00431
NNN a suitable biomarker of exposure from smoke and new nicotine delivery products?
Pluym N, Taucher J, Scherer G, Scherer M
CORESTA SSPT 2019, Hamburg, Germany
Quantitative analysis of NNN in plasma by LC-MS/MS: a suitable alternative to urinary determination to assess the exposure to this important toxicant
Pluym N, Sibul F, Jin X, Edmiston J, Sarkar M, Scherer G, Scherer M
CORESTA SSPT 2021, Virtual
Analysis of 18 Urinary Mercapturic Acids by two Multiplex-LC-MS/MS Methods
Pluym N, Gilch G, Scherer G, Scherer M
CORESTA Congress 2014, Quebec, Canada
Analysis of 18 urinary mercapturic acids by two high-throughput multiplex-LC-MS/MS methods
Pluym N, Gilch G, Scherer G, Scherer M
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Volume 407, doi: 10.1007/s00216-015-8719-x
Benzene metabolite SPMA and acrylamide metabolites AAMA and GAMA in urine of children and adolescents in Germany - human biomonitoring results of the German Environmental Survey 2014-2017 (GerES V)
Schwedler G, Murawski A, Schmied-Tobies MIH, Rucic E, Scherer M, Pluym N, Scherer G, Bethke R, Kolossa-Gehring M
Environmental Research, Volume 192, doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110295
Comparison of urinary mercapturic acid excretions in users of various tobacco/nicotine products
Gerhard Scherer, Nikola Pluym, Max Scherer
Drug Testing and Analysis DOI: 10.1002/dta.3372
Assessment of the potential vaping-related exposure to carbonyls and epoxides using stable isotope-labeled precursors in the e-liquid
Landmesser A, Scherer M, Scherer G, Sarkar M, Edmiston J, Niessner R, Pluym N
Archives of Toxicology, doi:10.1007/s00204-021-03097-x
Determination of three carcinogenic aromatic amines in urine of smokers and nonsmokers
Riedel K, Scherer G, Engl J, Hagedorn H-W, Tricker AR
Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume 30, doi: 10.1093/jat/30.3.187
Assessment of the Exposure to Aromatic Amines in Users of Various Tobacco/Nicotine Products
Gerhard Scherer, Kirsten Riedel, Nikola Pluym, Max Scherer
ACS Omega, doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06130
External quality assurance schemes (EQUASs) and interlaboratory comparison investigations (ICIs) for the human biomonitoring of aromatic amines in urine as part of the quality assurance programme under HBM4EU
Stefanie Nübler, Therese Burkhardt, Moritz Schäfer, Johannes Müller, Karin Haji-Abbas-Zarrabi, Nikola Pluym, Max Scherer, Gerhard Scherer, Marta Esteban-Lopez, Argelia Castaño, Hans G. J. Mol, Holger M. Koch, Jean-Philippe Antignac, Jana Hajslova, Katrin Vorkamp, Thomas Göen
Analytical Methods
A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of phenolic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAH) in urine of non-smokers and smokers
Ramsauer B, Sterz K, Hagedorn H-W, Engl J, Scherer G, McEwan M, Errington G, Shepperd J, Cheung F
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, volume 399, doi:10.1007/s00216-010-4355-7
Assessment of the exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in users of various tobacco/nicotine products by suitable urinary biomarkers
Gerhard Scherer, Max Scherer, Nadine Rögner, Nikola Pluym
Archives of Toxicology doi.org/10.1007/s00204-022-03349-4
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in urine of children and adolescents in Germany - human biomonitoring results of the German Environmental Survey 2014-2017 (GerES V)
Murawski A, Roth A, Schwedler G, Schmied-Tobies MIH, Rucic E, Pluym N, Scherer M, Scherer G, Conrad A, Kolossa-Gehring M
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Volume 226, doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113491
A validated UPLC-MS/MS method for biomonitoring the exposure to the fragrance 7-hydroxycitronellal
Stoeckelhuber M, Krnac D, Pluym N, Scherer M, Leibold E, Scherer G
Journal of Chromatography B, Volumes 1068–1069, doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.jchromb.2017.10.040
Biomonitoring data on young adults from the Environmental Specimen Bank suggest a decrease in the exposure to the fragrance chemical 7-hydroxycitronellal in Germany from 2000 to 2018
Pluym N, Petreanu W, Weber T, Scherer G, Scherer M, Kolossa-Gehring M
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 227:113508, doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113508
Human metabolism and excretion kinetics of the fragrance 7-hydroxycitronellal after a single oral or dermal dosage
Stoeckelhuber M, Krnac D, Pluym N, Scherer M, Peschel O, Leibold E, Scherer G
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Volume 221, doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.10.015
Establishment of new human biomonitoring methods to unravel the exposure to emerging chemicals –showcased for the fragrances lysmeral and 7-hydroxycitronellal
Nikola Pluym, Janina Mütze, Kirsten Riedel, Gerhard Scherer, Therese Burkhardt, Max Scherer, Till Weber, Nora Lemke, Aline Murawski, Marike Kolossa-Gehring
ISES Annual Meeting 2024, Montreal, Canada
Human biomonitoring in urine samples from the Environmental Specimen Bank reveals a decreasing trend over time in the exposure to the fragrance chemical lysmeral from 2000 to 2018
Scherer M, Petreanu W, Weber T, Scherer G, Pluym N, Kolossa-Gehring M
Chemosphere, Volume 265, doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128955
Human metabolism and excretion kinetics of the fragrance lysmeral after a single oral dosage
Scherer M, Koch HM, Schütze A, Pluym N, Krnac D, Gilch G, Leibold E, Scherer G
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Volume 220, doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.09.005
Metabolites of the fragrance 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)propionaldehyde (lysmeral) in urine of children and adolescents in Germany - Human biomonitoring results of the German Environmental Survey 2014-2017 (GerES V)
Murawski A, Fiedler N, Schmied-Tobies MIH, Rucic E, Schwedler G, Stoeckelhuber M, Scherer G, Pluym N, Scherer M, Kolossa-Gehring M
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Volume 229, 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113594
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the human biomonitoring of non-occupational exposure to the fragrance 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)-propionaldehyde (lysmeral)
Pluym N, Krnac D, Gilch G, Scherer M, Leibold E, Scherer G
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Volume 408, doi: 10.1007/s00216-016-9702-x
Time trend of the exposure to geraniol in 24-h urine samples derived from the German Environmental Specimen Bank from 2004 to 2018
Pluym N, Stoeckelhuber M, Weber T, Scherer G, Scherer M, Kolossa-Gehring M
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, Volume 239, doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113880
Development of a human biomonitoring method for assessing the exposure to ethoxyquin in the general population
Stoeckelhuber M, Scherer M, Bracher F, Peschel O, Leibold E, Scherer G, Pluym N
Archives of Toxicology, volume 94, doi: 10.1007/s00204-020-02871-7
Monitoring the exposure to ethoxyquin between 2000 and 2021 in urine samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank
Nikola Pluym, Therese Burkhardt, Nadine Rögner, Gerhard Scherer, Till Weber, Max Scherer, Marike Kolossa-Gehring
Environment International; doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107781
A validated UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of urinary metabolites of Uvinul® A plus
Stoeckelhuber M, Pluym N, Bracher F, Leibold E, Scherer G, Scherer M
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, volume 411, doi: 10.1007/s00216-019-02201-6
Human metabolism and urinary excretion kinetics of the UV filter Uvinul A plus® after a single oral or dermal dosage
Stoeckelhuber M, Scherer M, Peschel O, Leibold E, Bracher F, Scherer G, Pluym N
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 227:113509, doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113509
Human biomonitoring in urine samples from the Environmental Specimen Bank reveals an increasing exposure to the UV filter DHHB between 2000 and 2021
Nikola Pluym, Therese Burkhardt, Gerhard Scherer, Max Scherer, Till Weber, Marike Kolossa-Gehring
ISES Annual Meeting 2024, Montreal, Canada
Assessing the exposure to the UV filter DHHB in urine samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (2000–2021): Evaluating the impact of a potential impurity of di-n-hexyl phthalate in DHHB
Max Scherer, Gerhard Scherer, Kirsten Riedel, Holger M. Koch, Sonja A. Wrobel, Aline Murawski, Nora Lemke, Till Weber, Nikola Pluym, Marike Kolossa-Gehring
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Propylene glycol as a specific biomarker for e-cigarette use Showcase of a novel Orbitrap-MS-based exposomics approach
Nikola Pluym, Therese Burkhardt, Alpesh Kachhadia, Gerhard Scherer, Max Scherer
ISES 2022, Lisbon
Propylene glycol: A Biomarker of Exposure specific to E-Cigarette Consumption
Burkhardt T, Pluym N, Scherer G, Scherer M
SRNT 2022, Baltimore (Hybrid), USA
1,2-Propylene Glycol: A Biomarker of Exposure Specific to e-Cigarette Consumption
Burkhardt T, Pluym N, Scherer G, Scherer M
Separations, 8, 180, doi: 10.3390/separations8100180
Determination of a specific metabolite for the non-ionic surfactant 2,4,7,9-Tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol (TMDD) by UPLC-MS/MS
Nadine Roegner, Nikola Pluym, Oliver Peschel, Edgar Leibold, Alpeshkumar Kachhadia, Gerhard Scherer, Max Scherer
Journal of Chromatography B; doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2022.123584
Development of a human biomonitoring method for assessing the exposure to 2,4,7,9-Tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol (TMDD) in the general population
Carmen Tiwald, Nadine Rögner, Gerhard Scherer, Nikola Pluym , Max Scherer
ISES Workshop 2024, Berlin, Germany
Human metabolism and excretion kinetics of the surfactant 2,4,7,9‑tetramethyl‑5‑decyne‑4,7‑diol (TMDD) after oral and dermal administration
Nikola Pluym, Nadine Roegner, Oliver Peschel, Edgar Leibold, Gerhard Scherer, Max Scherer
A sensitive GC–MS/MS method for the quantification of benzo[a]pyrene tetrol in urine
Max Scherer, Fabian Pilz, Antonia Gärtner, Gerhard Scherer, Nikola Pluym
CORESTA Congress 2024, Edinburgh, UK
A sensitive GC–MS/MS method for the quantification of benzo[a]pyrene tetrol in urine
Fabian Pilz, Antonia Gärtner, Nikola Pluym, Gerhard Scherer, Max Scherer
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
Pioneers in biomarker research
Almost all of the biomarker methods developed at ABF were published in peer-reviewed journals, a fact that supports the validity, transparency and scientific evidence of the bioanalysis especially of importance for regulatory submissions