Tracking & Biomonitoring Accomplishments

Since 2007, when the program began, MDH has used these new tools, tracking and biomonitoring, successfully to…

  • Discover that 10% of the Minnesota newborns tested in the Lake Superior Basin had elevated mercury levels, identifying a need for more investigation.

  • Demonstrate that actions taken to remove perfluorochemicals (PFCs) from drinking water in East Metro communities were working to reduce PFCs in people.

  • Measure arsenic levels of Minneapolis children in response to community concern; counseled parents about ways to avoid arsenic exposure.

  • Find racial and income disparities in bisphenol A (BPA) and paraben exposures among pregnant women; these chemicals are used in plastics and personal care products.

  • Advance the Public Health Laboratory’s capacity to measure organic chemicals and toxic metals in human blood and urine.

  • Leverage federal funds to develop a web-based data portal so citizens, policymakers, and communities can access public health data that they can explore and map for their own use.

  • Respond to community needs for information on cancer, asthma, and other chronic diseases.

  • Link data between air quality and respiratory disease in the Twin Cities and Rochester in order to track the impacts of pollution reduction strategies.

See Tracking in Action for examples of how tracking and biomonitoring data are used. Also, see Advisory Panel Recommendations