GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC MASS-SPECTROMETRIC DETERMINATION OF CHLOROPHENOLSIN THE URINE OF SAWMILL WORKERS WITH PAST USE OF CHLOROPHENOL-CONTAINING ANTISTAIN AGENTS
H. Kontsas et al., GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC MASS-SPECTROMETRIC DETERMINATION OF CHLOROPHENOLSIN THE URINE OF SAWMILL WORKERS WITH PAST USE OF CHLOROPHENOL-CONTAINING ANTISTAIN AGENTS, Analyst, 120(6), 1995, pp. 1745-1749
The aim of this work was to establish whether workers at sawmills wher
e chlorophenol-containing anti-stain agents had been previously used w
ere still exposed to chlorophenols. A gas chromatographic-mass spectro
metric (GC-MS) procedure for the determination of chlorophenols in uri
ne was developed. Chlorophenols were determined from hydrolysed urine
as acetylated derivatives and determined by GC-MS using selected ion m
onitoring (SIM). Isolation of the chlorophenols with toluene gave the
best extraction efficiencies (65-119%). Stability tests at -20 degrees
C showed no degradation of the chlorophenols studied during 6 months.
The limit of quantification was 3.6 ng mg(-1) creatinine for 2,4,6-tr
ichlorophenol, 5.5 ng mg(-1) for 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol and 3.6 ng
mg(-1) for pentachlorophenol. Traces of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6
-tetrachlorophenol and pentachlorophenol were found both in previously
exposed workers and in non exposed controls, the urinary concentratio
ns ranging from 1.1 to 15.9 ng mg(-1) creatinine. The concentrations o
f urinary chlorophenols in previously exposed workers were of the same
magnitude as those found in non-exposed controls and in the general p
opulation. The results show that it is unlikely that sawmill workers w
ould be currently occupationally exposed to chlorophenols or polychlor
inated dibenzo-p dioxins and dibenzofurans via a contaminated work env
ironment.