scholarly journals Urinary Mercapturic Acids to Assess Exposure to Benzene and Other Volatile Organic Compounds in Coke Oven Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1801
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Frigerio ◽  
Laura Campo ◽  
Rosa Mercadante ◽  
Danuta Mielżyńska-Švach ◽  
Sofia Pavanello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Coke Oven ◽  
Isotopic Dilution ◽  
Exclusion Criterion ◽  
International Agency ◽  
Mercapturic Acids ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Coke Oven Workers

Coke production was classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Besides polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, coke oven workers may be exposed to benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The aim of this study was to assess the exposure to several VOCs in 49 coke oven workers and 49 individuals living in the same area by determining urinary mercapturic acids. Active tobacco smoking was an exclusion criterion for both groups. Mercapturic acids were investigated by a validated isotopic dilution LC-MS/MS method. Linear models were built to correct for different confounding variables. Urinary levels of N-acetyl-S-phenyl-L-cysteine (SPMA) (metabolite of benzene), N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxy-1/2-phenylethyl)-L-cysteine (PHEMA) (metabolite of styrene), N-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine (CEMA) (metabolite of acrylonitrile), N-acetyl-S-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-propen-1-yl)-L-cysteine and N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)-L-cysteine (MHBMA) (metabolites of 1,3-butadiene) were 2–10 fold higher in workers than in controls (p < 0.05). For SPMA, in particular, median levels were 0.02 and 0.31 µg/g creatinine in workers and controls, respectively. Among workers, coke makers were more exposed to PHEMA and SPMA than foremen and engine operators. The comparison with biological limit values shows that the exposure of workers was within 20% of the limit values for all biomarkers, moreover three subjects exceeded the restrictive occupational limit value recently proposed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for SPMA.

scholarly journals Potential of Passive Sampling and Plant Absorption to Quantify Inhalation Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
Veerapas Na Roi-et ◽  
◽  
Supawat Chaikasem ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Inhalation Exposure ◽  
Hazard Index ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Exposure Limits ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Volatile Organic

Emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from photocopiers was investigated to assess the potential health impacts on inhalation exposure to VOCs. VOCs samples were collected during working hours using SKC VOCs 575 series passive sample. Twenty-one quantified VOCs were measured and analyzed by GC-MS/MS. The results showed that the total VOCs concentration emitted in the photocopy centers A and B were 2.29×104 and 2.32×104 µg/m3, respectively. The highest detected chemical was trans-1,2-Dichloroethene at about 2.18×104 (photocopy center A) and 2.15×104 µg/m3 (photocopy center B (The results reveal that the non-carcinogenic risk for inhalation exposure to m-Xylene, p-Xylene, and trans-1,2-Dichloroethene were in the range 0.94-1.53 and 1.19-1.79 and 51.54-52.23, respectively, resulting in the hazard index (HI) of non-carcinogenic VOCs in total being greater than 1.0. This indicated that the cumulative effects of inhalation exposure to VOCs at low concentrations should be of concern, even though it does not exceed the occupational exposure limits and Threshold Limit Values-Time Weighted Average for the mixtures (TLV-TWAmix). Plants display a greener solution to reduce indoor air pollution. The bio-concentration levels of total VOCs in Epipremnum aureum were noted as 74.71 to 174.42, signifying that E. aureum is effective for removal of VOCs naturally and sustainably.

Biological monitoring for exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (IUPAC Recommendations 2000)

2000 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Heinrich-Ramm ◽  
M. Jakubowski ◽  
B. Heinzow ◽  
J. Molin Christensen ◽  
E. Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Biological Monitoring ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Sample Treatment ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Analytical Methodology ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Volatile Organic

This paper deals with the appropriate application of biological monitoring (BM) for exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Sampling guidelines, approved analytical procedures, quality control systems, detailed aspects for the interpretation of biomonitoring data, a compilation of international biological action values for VOC exposure at the workplace (e.g., BAT, BEI®), and state of the art reference values are outlined or referred to in this review for recommendation as guidelines for health professionals in occupational and environmental settings.VOCs are frequently encountered at the workplace, in daily routines and widely used consumer products. They cover a broad spectrum of chemical classes with different physicochemical and biological properties. Inhalation is a prominent route of exposure due to their volatility but many VOCs can quite readily be absorbed through the skin. BM allows assessment of the integrated exposure by different routes including inhalation and concomitant dermal and oral uptake—a helpful tool for relating exposure to body burden and possible health effects. Because of the different toxicological profiles of VOCs, no uniform approach for BM can be recommended. VOCs in blood and urinary VOC metabolites are most often applied for BM. Limit values for workplace exposure have been established for many VOCs. In this field, profound analytical methodology and extensive experience exist in numerous international scientific laboratories for reliable routine application. Contamination and loss of VOCs during specimen collection, storage and sample treatment, and applied calibration procedure are the most important uncertainties for analytical quantification of VOCs in blood. For interpretation of the analytical results appropriate time of sampling, according to toxicokinetics of the compound, is crucial due to VOC elimination with short but differing biological half-lives. Lifestyle factors (such as smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and dietary habits), workload, personal working habits, exposure to VOC mixtures and endogeous factors (as genetic polymorphism for VOC metabolizing enzymes, body mass) contribute to BM results and have to be considered in detail. Future analytical work should focus on the improvement of analytical methodology of VOC determination in body fluids at low-level environmental exposure and evaluation of corresponding reference intervals.

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