Analytical methods for human biomonitoring of pesticides. A review

• We present an analytical review of methods for human biomonitoring of pesticides.
• Urine and blood are the primary matrices analyzed for pesticide biomarkers.
• Non-invasive matrices such as hair are emerging.
• Future trends in this field are discussed.

Biomonitoring of both currently-used and banned-persistent pesticides is a very useful tool for assessing human exposure to these chemicals. In this review, we present current approaches and recent advances in the analytical methods for determining the biomarkers of exposure to pesticides in the most commonly used specimens, such as blood, urine, and breast milk, and in emerging non-invasive matrices such as hair and meconium. We critically discuss the main applications for sample treatment, and the instrumental techniques currently used to determine the most relevant pesticide biomarkers. We finally look at the future trends in this field.

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