Human monitoring data data formats

Data are provided on the survey, the individuals in the survey, the samples taken, the analyses performed, the analytical methods used, the properties for substances analysed, and the concentrations found.

Data are provided in the following relational tables:
  • Human monitoring surveys

  • Human monitoring individuals

  • Human monitoring samples

  • Human monitoring sample analyses

  • Sample concentrations

  • Analytical methods

  • Analytical method properties for substances

Suggested table definitions for human monitoring data.

Human monitoring surveys

Contains the survey definitions.

Table aliases: HumanMonitoringSurveys, HumanMonitoringSurvey.

Table 120 Table definition for Human monitoring surveys.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idSurvey

AlphaNumeric(50)

Unique identification code of the survey.

idSurvey

Yes

Name

AlphaNumeric(100)

Name of the survey.

Name

No

Description

AlphaNumeric(200)

Description of the survey.

Description

No

Location

AlphaNumeric(50)

The location or country where survey is held. It is recommended to use ISO Alpha-2 country codes.

Location, Country

No

BodyWeightUnit

AlphaNumeric(50)

The unit of bodyweight of the individuals of the survey: kg (default) or g.

BodyWeightUnit, UnitBodyWeight, WeightIn

No

AgeUnit

AlphaNumeric(50)

The unit of age, i.e., year or month.

UnitAge, agein, AgeUnit

No

StartDate

DateTime

The starting date of the survey.

StartDate

No

EndDate

DateTime

The end date of the survey.

EndDate

No

NumberOfSurveyDays

Integer

The number of days each individual participated in the survey.

NumberOfSurveyDays, NDaysInSurvey

Yes

idPopulation

AlphaNumeric(50)

Unique identification code of the population.

IdPopulation, PopulationId

No

Individuals

The individuals of a survey are recorded in the Individuals table. Add additional properties like Region, Breastfeeding to further describe an individual. In table IndividualProperties, each property in the Individuals table is described (recommended way). Note that only those properties that are available in the Individuals table are used in module Populations, table Populations or PopulationIndividualPropertyValues to subset the individuals. This is only relevant when the UseData option in the population module is used.

Table aliases: Individuals, SurveyIndividuals, ConsumptionSurveyIndividuals, FoodConsumptionSurveyIndividuals.

Table 121 Table definition for Individuals.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idIndividual

AlphaNumeric(50)

Unique identification code of the individual.

idIndividual, IndividualId, Individual, Id

Yes

idFoodSurvey

AlphaNumeric(50)

The identification code / short name of survey.

idSurvey, idFoodSurvey, Survey, FoodSurvey, SurveyId, FoodSurveyId, SurveyCode

Yes

BodyWeight

Numeric

The body weight of the individual.

BodyWeight, Weight

Yes

SamplingWeight

Numeric

The sampling weight for an individual (default = 1).

SamplingWeight

No

NumberOfSurveyDays

Integer

The number of days the individual participated in the survey.

NumberOfSurveyDays, NumberOfDaysInSurvey, DaysInSurvey, NDaysInSurvey

No

Name

AlphaNumeric(100)

Name or label of the individual.

Name

No

Description

AlphaNumeric(200)

Additional description of the individual.

Description

No

Individual properties

Other individual properties can be added like the fields Age, Gender, Region etc. These properties are automatically parsed as co-factors or co-variables.

No

Individual properties

This table is used to describe the properties used in the Populations or PopulationIndividualPropertyValues table characterising the population (table Populations) and/or the properties used in the Individuals table characterising an individual. Properties like Age, Gender, Region are describing an individual (PropertyLevel = Individual). Properties like Period (for populations) or Month (sampling date for an individual day) are describing an individual day (PropertyLevel = IndividualDay).

Table aliases: IndividualProperties, IndividualProperty.

Table 122 Table definition for Individual properties.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idIndividualProperty

AlphaNumeric(50)

The code of the property.

idIndividualProperty, IndividualPropertyId, IndividualProperty

Yes

Name

AlphaNumeric(100)

The name of the property.

Name

No

PropertyLevel

PropertyLevelType

The level of the property. This type follows a controlled terminology, with possible values: Individual or IndividualDay.

PropertyLevel, LevelProperty

No

Description

AlphaNumeric(200)

Description of the property.

Description

No

Type

IndividualPropertyType

This field specifies the type of the values of this individual property. This type follows a controlled terminology, with possible values: Boolean, Categorical (default), Numeric, Nonnegative, Integer, NonnegativeInteger, Month, Datetime, Gender.

Type

No

Individual property values

Not recommended. This table describes individual property values. Property values are describing an individual for properties like e.g. Region, Breastfeeding. The recommended way is to add these columns as additional columns in the Individuals table. In table IndividualProperties, each property in the IndividualPropertyValues table is described.

Table aliases: IndividualPropertyValues, IndividualPropertyValue.

Table 123 Table definition for Individual property values.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idIndividual

AlphaNumeric(50)

The identification number of the Individual.

Id

Yes

PropertyName

AlphaNumeric(50)

The name of the property.

Name

Yes

TextValue

AlphaNumeric(50)

The value of the property as text value.

No

DoubleValue

Numeric

The value of the property as number.

No

Analytical methods

The analytical methods used for analyzing the samples are recorded in the analytical methods table. Each analytical method should have a unique identification code (idAnalyticalMethod). The description field may be used for a more detailed description of the analytical method. The records of this table should be linked to one or more analytical method substance properties table, which record the substances that are measured by this method (and their limits of reporting).

Table aliases: AnalyticalMethod, AnalyticalMethods.

Table 124 Table definition for Analytical methods.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idAnalyticalMethod

AlphaNumeric(50)

The code for the method of analysis.

idAnalyticalMethod, AnalyticalMethodId, AnalyticalMethodName, Id

Yes

Name

AlphaNumeric(100)

Name of the analytical method.

Name

No

Description

AlphaNumeric(255)

Additional description of method of analysis.

Description

No

Analytical method properties for substances

Table aliases: AnalyticalMethodSubstances, AnalyticalMethodSubstance, AnalyticalMethodCompounds, AnalyticalMethodCompound.

Table 125 Table definition for Analytical method properties for substances.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idAnalyticalMethod

AlphaNumeric(50)

The code of method of analysis.

idAnalyticalMethod, AnalyticalMethodName, AnalyticalMethodId

Yes

idSubstance

AlphaNumeric(50)

The substance code.

idSubstance, SubstanceId, Substance

Yes

LOR

Numeric

The limit of reporting (LOR). In MCRA, LOR just means the limit below which no quantitative result has been reported. Depending on a laboratory’s format of reporting, LOR may be a limit of detection (LOD), a limit of quantification (LOQ) or another limit.

LOR

Yes

ConcentrationUnit

AlphaNumeric(50)

The code of the unit as used for substance concentration data. Allowed code: kg/kg or kilogram/kilogram; g/kg or gram/kilogram; mg/kg or milligram/kilogram (default); µg/kg or microgram/kilogram; ng/kg or nanogram/kilogram; pg/kg or picogram/kilogram.

ConcentrationUnit, Units, Unit

No

Human monitoring samples

Contains the samples taken during the study.

Table aliases: HumanMonitoringSamples, HumanMonitoringSample.

Table 126 Table definition for Human monitoring samples.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idSample

AlphaNumeric(50)

Unique identification code of the monitoring sample.

idSample, Sample

Yes

idIndividual

AlphaNumeric(50)

Unique identification code of the individual.

idIndividual, IndividualId, Individual, Id

Yes

DateSampling

DateTime(50)

Date of sampling.

DateSampling, DateOfSampling, SamplingDate

No

DayOfSurvey

AlphaNumeric(50)

Identification code of the day of measurement.

Day, idDay, DayId, DayOfSurvey

Yes

TimeOfSampling

AlphaNumeric(50)

Identification code of the time of sampling.

TimeOfSampling, SamplingTime, TimeSampling

No

SampleType

AlphaNumeric(50)

Type of sample (e.g., pooled, 24h urine, spot urine, serum from blood, etc.).

SampleType, SamplingType

No

Compartment

AlphaNumeric(50)

If applicable, the measured compartment of the human body (e.g., blood, urine). When specified, the measurements are considered at the level of internal doses.

Compartment

No

ExposureRoute

AlphaNumeric(50)

If applicable, the measured exposure route, e.g., dermal (in case of skin wipes). When specified, the measurements are considered at the level of external doses.

ExposureRoute

No

SpecificGravity

Numeric

Specific gravity of the measured person for this particular sample.

SpecificGrafity, SpecificGravity

No

SpecificGravityCorrectionFactor

Numeric

Correction factor for the concentration to account for the specific gravity of the measured person for this particular sample.

SpecificGravityCorrectionFactor

No

Name

AlphaNumeric(100)

Name of the human monitoring sample.

Name

No

Description

AlphaNumeric(200)

Additional description of the human monitoring sample.

Description

No

Human monitoring sample analyses

Contains the measurements of the samples of human monitoring studies.

Table aliases: HumanMonitoringSampleAnalyses, HumanMonitoringSampleAnalysis.

Table 127 Table definition for Human monitoring sample analyses.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idSampleAnalysis

AlphaNumeric(50)

Unique identification code of the sample analysis.

idSampleAnalysis, SampleAnalysis

Yes

idSample

AlphaNumeric(50)

Code of the measured monitoring sample.

idSample, Sample

Yes

idAnalyticalMethod

AlphaNumeric(50)

The code of method of analysis.

idAnalyticalMethod, AnalyticalMethodName, AnalyticalMethodId

Yes

AnalysisDate

AlphaNumeric(50)

Date of analysis.

AnalysisDate, DateAnalysis

No

Substance concentration(s)

AlphaNumeric(100)

One or more columns with the measured concentrations of the substances in the unit as specified by the analytical method. The column name(s) should match the substance codes of the substances measured by the analytical methods. Empty fields for substances that should have been measured by the analytical method are considered to be non-detects with measurement values below LOR.

Yes

Name

AlphaNumeric(100)

Name of the human monitoring sample analysis.

Name

No

Description

AlphaNumeric(200)

Additional description of the human monitoring sample analysis.

Description

No

Sample concentrations

The positive concentration values for substances from analysis in the unit specified in table human monitoring sample analyses. Non-detects (i.e. results ‘less than LOR’) are not included, their existence can be inferred from the tables AnalysisSamples and AnalyticalMethodSubstances, and the LOR itself from the analytical method.

Table aliases: HumanMonitoringSampleConcentrations, HumanMonitoringSampleConcentration.

Table 128 Table definition for Sample concentrations.
Name Type Description Aliases Required

idAnalysisSample

AlphaNumeric(50)

The identification number of the analysed sample.

idAnalysisSample, AnalysisSampleId

Yes

idSubstance

AlphaNumeric(50)

The substance code.

idSubstance, SubstanceId, Substance

Yes

Concentration

Numeric

The measured concentration.

Concentration

Yes