Monitoring of occupational exposure to tetrachloroethene by analysis for unmetabolized tetrachloroethene in blood and urine in comparison with urinalysis for trichloroacetic acid

Objective: The present study was initiated to examine a quantitative relati onship between tetrachloroethene (TETRA) in blood and urine with TETRA in a ir, and to compare TETRA in blood or urine with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in urine as exposure markers. Methods: In total, 44 workers (exposed to TET RA during automated, continuous cloth-degreasing operations), and ten non-e xposed subjects volunteered to participate in the study. The exposure to va por was monitored by diffusive sampling. The amounts of TETRA and TCA in en d-of-shift blood and urine samples were measured by either head-space gas c hromatography (HS-GC) or automated methylation followed by HS-GC. The corre lation was examined by regression analysis. Results: The maximum time-weigh ted average (TWA) concentration for TETRA-exposure was 46 ppm. Regression a nalysis for correlation of TETRA in blood, TETRA in urine and TCA in urine, with TETRA in air, showed that the coefficient was largest for the correla tion between TETRA in air and TETRA in blood. The TETRA in blood, in urine and in air correlated mutually, whereas TCA in urine correlated more closel y with TETRA in blood than with TETRA in urine. The TCA values determined b y colorimetry and by the GC method were very similar. The biological marker levels at a hypothetical exposure of 25 ppm TETRA were substantially highe r in the present study than were the levels reported in the literature. Pos sible reasons are discussed. Conclusions: Blood TETRA is the best marker of occupational exposure to TETRA, being superior to the traditional marker, urinary TCA.