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Jessica W. Nelson,¹ Madeleine Kangsen Scammell,¹ Rebecca Gasior Altman,² Thomas F. Webster,¹ and David M. Ozonoff¹

¹Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; ²Department of Sociology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Abstract
Background: Translating research to make it more understandable and effective (research translation) has been declared a priority in environmental health but does not always include communication to the public or residents of communities affected by environmental hazards. Their unique perspectives are also commonly missing from discussions about science and technology policy. The consensus conference process, developed in Denmark, offers a way to address this gap.

Objectives: The Boston Consensus Conference on Human Biomonitoring, held in Boston, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2006, was designed to educate and elicit input from 15 Boston-area residents on the scientifically complex topic of human biomonitoring for environmental chemicals. This lay panel considered the many ethical, legal, and scientific issues surrounding biomonitoring and prepared a report expressing their views.

Discussion: The lay panel's findings provide a distinct and important voice on the expanding use of biomonitoring. In some cases, such as a call for opt-in reporting of biomonitoring results to study participants, they mirror recommendations raised elsewhere. Other conclusions have not been heard previously, including the recommendation that an individual's results should be statutorily exempted from the medical record unless permission is granted, and the opportunity to use biomonitoring data to stimulate green chemistry.

Conclusion: The consensus conference model addresses both aspects of a broader conception of research translation: engaging the public in scientific questions, and bringing their unique perspectives to bear on public health research, practice, and policy. In this specific application, a lay panel's recommendations on biomonitoring surveillance, communication, and ethics have practical implications for the conduct of biomonitoring studies and surveillance programs.

Key words: biomonitoring, consensus conference, environmental health surveillance, participatory democracy, research translation. Environ Health Perspect 117:495–499 (2009) . doi:10.1289/ehp.0800037 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 30 October 2008]

Address correspondence to J.W. Nelson, BU SPH Department of Environmental Health, 715 Albany St., T4W, Boston, MA 02118 USA. Telephone: (617) 638-4620. Fax: (617) 638-4857. E-mail: jwnelson@bu.edu

Supplemental Material is available online at http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/0800037/suppl.pdf

We thank the lay panel participants.

This project was supported by grants R25 ES12084 and P42ES007381 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) , National Institutes of Health (NIH) .

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIEHS or NIH.

The authors declare they have no competing financial interests.

Received 23 July 2008 ; accepted 24 October 2008.