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Validity of different biomonitoring parameters for the assessment of occupational exposure to N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)

  • Toxicokinetics and Metabolism
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Abstract

This study was performed to assess the relation between occupational exposure to N,N-dimethylformamide after an 8 h work shift in the acrylic fibre industry and its three biological markers N-methylformamide (NMFtotal), N-acetyl-S-(N-methylcarbamoyl)cysteine (AMCC), and N-methylcarbamoyl adduct at haemoglobin (MCVal). External DMF exposure of 220 workers was determined during the whole shift. A standardised questionnaire was used to obtain information about the worker’s general health status, medical treatment, smoking habits, protective measures, and possible symptoms caused by DMF exposure. NMF and AMCC were analysed in post-shift urine samples and MCVal in blood. For longitudinal assessment the average AMCC concentration was determined over a period of 4 weeks (weekly sampling) in a sub-collective of 89 workers. The median of DMF concentration in air was 3.19 mg/m3 (range < 0.15–46.9 mg/m3). The biological markers showed a median of 4.80 mg/L (range  0.20–50.6 mg/L) for NMFtotal, 4.75 mg/g creatinine (range 0.06–49.6 mg/g creatinine) for AMCC, and 57.5 nmol/g globin (range 0.5–414 nmol/g) for MCVal. A significant linear relationship was observed between DMF in air and NMF as well as between DMF in air and AMCC in post-shift urine samples. The mean AMCC values measured weekly over a period of 4 weeks correlated significantly with MCVal adducts too. Excluding workers who had been using breathing masks on the day of the study led to even tighter correlations. The results of the present study demonstrate the applicability of the DMF biomonitoring parameters NMFtotal in post-shift urine for the present-day exposure assessment, AMCC in the post-shift urine after several shifts for assessment of the cumulative exposure of the previous working days, and MCVal for assessment of long-term exposure during previous weeks and months. The data of the present study enable now the estimation of valid equivalents of these biomonitoring parameters to the external DMF exposure. From the risk assessment point of view, the exposure limit values for AMCC and MCVal, which are directly linked to the presumed toxic intermediate MIC, exhibit a significant advance.

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Acknowledgements

The study was carried out with financial support from the Industrievereinigung Chemiefaser (IVC, Frankfurt) and the Franz Koelsch Foundation (Erlangen). The authors would like to thank all participants who took part in the study and the management of the plants for their support. The authors acknowledge Sabine Straube, Werner Winter, Silvia Schels, Thomas Kokoschka, Birgit Hofmann, and Olga Battermann for their assistance in planning and carrying out the study. The present work was performed in (partial) fulfilment of the requirements for obtaining the degree “Dr. med.” to Mirjam Seitz.

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  1. Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Henkestrasse 9-11, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Mirjam Seitz, Sonja Kilo, Elisabeth Eckert, Johannes Müller, Hans Drexler & Thomas Göen

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  1. Mirjam Seitz
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  2. Sonja Kilo
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  3. Elisabeth Eckert
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Correspondence to Thomas Göen.

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Seitz, M., Kilo, S., Eckert, E. et al. Validity of different biomonitoring parameters for the assessment of occupational exposure to N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Arch Toxicol 92, 2183–2193 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-018-2219-7

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