G. Lehnert et Kh. Schaller, STRATEGY OF BIOLOGICAL MONITORING AND SETTING OF BIOLOGICAL THRESHOLDLIMITS (BAT VALUES) IN GERMANY, Israel journal of medical sciences, 31(9), 1995, pp. 549-557
Biological monitoring is of fundamental importance in Germany. The suc
cessful strategy of biological monitoring is based on four factors. Re
commendations for the pre-analytical phase have been issued by officia
l societies. For the analyses in blood and urine specimens around 100
methods have been recommended and standardized. All measurements must
be carried out under a quality control scheme issued by the German Min
istry of Labor and organized by the German Society of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine. The occupational medical judgement of the bio
logical monitoring results rake place by ''Biological Tolerance Values
for Working Materials'' (BAT values) and ''Exposure Equivalents for C
arcinogenic Working Materials'' (EKA values). A BAT value is, by defin
ition, the maximum allowable concentration for an individual which sho
uld not be exceeded; 53 BAT values for 37 agents or groups of agents a
nd 18 EKA values for 10 compounds have been defined. These values have
been published since 1982 in an annual list of occupational standards
. Every BAT or EKA value is based on extensive scientific documentatio
n.