Tavares, AnaRosário, RitaAimonen, K.Louro, HenriquetaMartins, CarlaViegas, SusanaSantonen, TiinaSilva, Maria João2026-03-032026-03-032025-09-22http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/11070Objective: Human biomonitoring provides measurements of internal exposure to all chemicals by all routes of exposures and also addresses associated early biological effects. An occupational biomonitoring study requires a comprehensive and harmonised planning, including participants’ recruitment, sampling strategy, biomarkers definition and analysis, data collection, management, and reporting, in order to generate comparable and replicable data. In the framework of the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC), a multi-centric biomonitoring campaign was planned to assess occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals from electronic and plastic waste management industries. We here present its design, comprising the assessment of external and internal exposure to several substances and characterization of early biological effects. Methods: Target participants are workers involved in e-waste and plastic recycling activities, and non-exposed individuals as controls. Besides industrial hygiene samples (e.g., air, settle dust) also biological samples (hair, blood, epithelial buccal cells and urine) are collected after informed consent, and a questionnaire is applied to all participants. Exposure biomarkers comprise measurements of heavy metals, flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), bisphenols, polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), and other plasticizers in hair, blood, or urine samples by qualified laboratories. Effect biomarkers are assessed in blood (genotoxicity – micronucleus and comet assay - inflammation, epigenetic and oxidative stress markers), buccal cells (micronucleus) and urine samples (metabolic changes). Occupational hygiene measurements and contextual information will facilitate the interpretation of biomarkers data and the identification of potential confounding variables. Expected Results: The findings are expected to provide valuable information on exposure and associated early (preclinical) effects, and also to uncover groups at increased risk, supporting the promotion of good work practices and/or the implementation of efficient risk management strategies further improving worker’s health protection.engWast ManagementE-WastePARCGenotoxicidade Ambientalconference object