ARTICLE 1. General [105440. - 105444.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 1.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 105440. Section 105440.

(a) This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program. (b) For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Agency” means the California Environmental Protection Agency. (2) “Biomonitoring” means the process by which chemicals and their metabolites are identified and measured within different biological specimens. (3) “Biological specimen” means a sample taken from a biophysical substance, that is reasonably available within a human body, for use as a medium to measure the presence and concentration of toxic chemicals. (4) “Community” means geographically or nongeographically based populations that may participate in the community-based biomonitoring program. A “nongeographical community” includes, but is not limited to, populations that may share a common chemical exposure through similar occupations, populations experiencing a common health outcome that may be linked to chemical exposures, or populations that may experience similar chemical exposures because of comparable consumption, lifestyle, product use, or subpopulations that share ethnicity, age, or gender. (5) “Department” means the State Department of Public Health. (6) “Designated chemicals” means those chemicals that are known to, or strongly suspected of, adversely impacting human health or development, based upon scientific, peer-reviewed animal, human, or in vitro studies, and consist of only those substances including chemical families or metabolites that are included in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies that are known collectively as the National Reports on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals program and any substances as specified pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 105449. (7) “Director” means the State Public Health Officer. (8) “DTSC” means the Department of Toxic Substances Control within the agency. (9) “Office” means the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment within the agency. (10) “Panel” means the Scientific Guidance Panel established pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 105448). (11) “Program” or “biomonitoring program” means the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program, which shall be established and operated by the department, in collaboration with the agency, the office, and DTSC. (12) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 105441. Section 105441.

The department, in collaboration with the agency, shall establish the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program. The department is the lead entity for the program unless otherwise specified in this chapter. The program shall utilize biological specimens, as appropriate, to identify designated chemicals that are present in the bodies of Californians. Biomonitoring shall utilize scientifically based statewide surveys. Additional community-based surveys shall be contingent on funding and shall be statistically valid and scientifically based. Biomonitoring shall take place on a strictly voluntary and confidential basis. Results reported pursuant to this chapter shall not disclose individual confidential information of participants. Appropriate biological specimens shall be used to monitor and assess the presence and concentration of designated chemicals. Biological specimens shall be analyzed by laboratories operated by the department, DTSC, or their contractors.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 105443. Section 105443.

(a) All participants shall be evaluated for the presence of designated chemicals as a component of the biomonitoring process. Participants shall be provided with information and fact sheets about the program’s activities and its findings. Individual participants may request and shall receive their complete results. Any results provided to participants shall be subject to the Institutional Review Board protocols and guidelines. When either physiological or chemical data obtained from a participant indicate a significant known health risk, program staff experienced in communicating biomonitoring results shall consult with the individual and recommend followup steps, as appropriate. Program administrators shall receive training in administering the program in an ethical, culturally sensitive, participatory, and community-based manner. (b) Individuals selected to participate in the biomonitoring program shall reflect the age, economic, racial, and ethnic composition of the state. Other selection criteria may be applied, as appropriate, for studies of specific populations. (c) Informational materials and outreach activities directed to program participants and communities shall, to the extent possible, be culturally appropriate and translated as needed. Educational materials shall be adapted to the biological specimens being used.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 105444. Section 105444.

(a) The program shall develop guidelines and model protocols that address the science and practice of biomonitoring to implement this chapter, including, but not limited to, study design, subject recruitment, and data collection and management, and that accomplish all of the following: (1) Ensure confidentiality and informed consent. (2) Communicate findings to participants, communities, and the general public. (3) Emphasize all aspects of the program in a culturally sensitive manner. (4) Serve as a guide for other biomonitoring programs supported by state funds. (b) The program shall incorporate, as appropriate, the methods utilized by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the studies known collectively as the National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. (c) The program shall be implemented in collaboration with the California Environmental Health Tracking Program and the environmental indicators system maintained by the office pursuant to Section 71081 of the Public Resources Code. (d) The department, office, and DTSC shall collaborate on the development of fact sheets and other informational and outreach materials for the biomonitoring program. (e) The department, in collaboration with the office and DTSC, shall conduct statistical and epidemiological analyses of the biomonitoring results. (f) Personal information as defined in Section 1798.3 of the Civil Code, shall not be shared without the written and informed consent of the individual to whom it pertains. (g) No governmental agency or private person or entity shall discriminate against a person or community based upon the biomonitoring results.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026