APPLICATIONS OF BIOLOGICAL MONITORING IN OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH PRACTICE- PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF URINARY 2-ETHOXYACETIC ACID TO ASSESS EXPOSURE 2-ETHOXYETHYL ACETATE IN LARGE-FORMAT SILK-SCREENING OPERATIONS

A practical application of urinary 2-ethoxyacetic acid (EAA) to assess occupational exposure to 2-ethoxyethyl acetate (EGEE-Ac) during a lar ge format silk-screening operation is described. Industrial hygiene ai r monitoring of employees of a silk-screen shop producing large aircra ft interior panel coverings revealed a broad range of exposures to EGE E-Ac. Time weighted exposures averaged 12 ppm (range 2.9-34 ppm) in pr ess operators during production press runs, exceeding the 5 ppm Washin gton State permissible exposure limit. Employees were instructed to us e organic vapor respirators until engineering controls could be develo ped. Urinary monitoring of EAA was conducted on 30 employees by the co mpany medical department to aid in exposure risk assessment and to ass ess compliance. Results obtained ranged from 1.1-27 mg EAA/g creatinin e which compares favorably with the proposed Biological Exposure Index (BEI) of 100 mg EAA/g creatinine. Results of representative air and b iological monitoring, and observations of work practices for different exposure groups indicated that inhalation exposure was the predominan t route of exposure. Follow-up testing to assess the efficacy of a new ly installed ventilation upgrade is planned.