Biological monitoring (BM) is supposed to be an integral part of risk assessment on an individual basis after exposure to chemical carcinogens. In future, multiple biomarkers (biomarkers of internal and effective dose, early biological effects and altered structure and function) have to be analyzed within a single study to prove a relation between exposure to a chemical and its toxic effects in humans on an epidemiological basis. For this purpose new methods, which were developed in the field of toxicology and molecular medicine, have to be transferred and used in biomonitoring studies and occupational medicine. Of particular importance are biomarkers of effect to guarantee evidence-based risk assessment in future studies. The article summarizes current possibilities and limitations in BM and focuses on future aspects of risk assessment.