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Larry L. Needham,¹ Halûk Özkaynak,² Robin M. Whyatt,³ Dana B. Barr,¹ Richard Y. Wang,¹ Luke Naeher,⁴ Gerry Akland,⁵ Tina Bahadori,⁶ Asa Bradman,⁷ Roy Fortmann,² L-J. Sally Liu,⁸ Maria Morandi,⁹ Mary Kay O'Rourke,¹⁰ Kent Thomas,² James Quackenboss,¹¹ P. Barry Ryan,¹² and Valerie Zartarian²

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ²U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; ³Columbia University, New York, New York, USA; ⁴University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA; ⁵Consultant, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; ⁶American Chemistry Council, Arlington, Virginia, USA; ⁷University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA; ⁸University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA; ⁹University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA; ¹⁰University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA; ¹¹U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; ¹²Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Abstract
The science of exposure assessment is relatively new and evolving rapidly with the advancement of sophisticated methods for specific measurements at the picogram per gram level or lower in a variety of environmental and biologic matrices. Without this measurement capability, environmental health studies rely on questionnaires or other indirect means as the primary method to assess individual exposures. Although we use indirect methods, they are seldom used as stand-alone tools. Analyses of environmental and biologic samples have allowed us to get more precise data on exposure pathways, from sources to concentrations, to routes, to exposure, to doses. They also often allow a better estimation of the absorbed dose and its relation to potential adverse health outcomes in individuals and in populations. Here, we make note of various environmental agents and how best to assess exposure to them in the National Children's Study--a longitudinal epidemiologic study of children's health. Criteria for the analytical method of choice are discussed with particular emphasis on the need for long-term quality control and quality assurance measures. Key words: biomonitoring, environmental monitoring questionnaire, exposure assessment, limit of detection, National Children's Study. Environ Health Perspect 113:1076-1082 (2005) . doi:10.1289/ehp.7613 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 12 May 2005]

This article is part of the mini-monograph "Assessing Exposures to Environmental Agents during the National Children's Study."

Address correspondence to L.L. Needham, Mailstop F17, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341 USA. Telephone: (770) 488-4598. Fax: (770) 488-4546. E-mail: lneedham@cdc.gov

We thank all who have worked toward making the National Children's Study a reality. Many of the nonfederal participants have received either in-house or extramural support during the development of the white paper and preparation of the manuscript ; we acknowledge their support.

The authors declare they have no competing financial interests.

Received 20 September 2004 ; accepted 14 March 2005.