Background Meetings


In preparation for the final Consensus Conference, the lay panel is meeting over two weekends to learn more about the topic via a carefully planned and facilitated program of reading, expert testimony, and discussion. Over these meetings, the panel will develop a set of key questions about which they would like further clarification from experts in the field.

Weekend 1: October 28-29, 2006

The panel's first meeting took place at the Boston University Medical School. The group got to know each other, talked about the Consensus Conference process and how they'll work together, and started to learn about the topic of human biomonitoring and ask questions. See photos from the meeting to the right.

During the meeting, they heard from two experts about the science of biomontoring:

  • Madeleine Kangsen Scammell, doctoral candidate at Boston University School of Public Health
  • Tom Webster, Associate Professor, Boston University School of Public Health

Prior to the meeting, they were given readings to introduce them to the topic of biomonitoring:


Weekend 2: November 18-19, 2006

At the panel's second meeting, the group delved further into the policy, ethical, and social issues related to biomonitoring.

During the meeting, they heard from two experts by phone on biomonitoring surveillance programs:

  • Larry Needham, Chief of the Organic Analytical Toxicology Branch in the National Center for Environmental Health of the U.S. CDC. Dr. Needham talked about the CDC's biomonitoring surveillance program.
  • Amy Kyle, research scientist and lecturer at the School of Public Health and the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Kyle talked about the recent legislation passed in California that would establish the nation's first state-wide biomonitoring surveillance program.

Prior to the meeting, they were given readings about issues surrounding surveillance programs: