Abstract
Objectives: To develop a simple and sensitive GC–MS method for determining toluene-diamine (TDA) in urine and to apply the method for biological monitoring of workers exposed to toluene-diisocyanate (TDI). Methods: After acid hydrolysis of 0.1 ml of urine, diluted tenfold with water, for 1.5 h, the free TDA formed was extracted with dichloromethane, and the heptafluorobutyric anhydride derivative was determined by GC–MS. We applied the method to the biological monitoring of 18 workers who were using an 80:20 mixture of 2,4-TDI and 2,6-TDI. Results: 2,6-TDA and 2,4-TDA were simply determined in 7 min by GC–MS. TDA levels in post-shift urine were well correlated with personal exposure levels of TDI. The correlation was improved by correction with creatinine or specific gravity in the 2,6-isomer, but not in the 2,4-isomer because of low exposure levels. From the correlation equation, the 2,6-TDA level (corrected with creatinine), corresponding to the TDI level of 5 ppb, was calculated to be 31.6 μg/g Cre. TDAs in pre-shift urine also correlated significantly with the personal exposure levels of TDIs, although the slope of the correlations for pre-shift samples was 60%–70% of those for post-shift samples. The correlation between 2,4-TDA and 2,6-TDA levels was significant, although the levels of the 2,4-isomer were less than one-tenth of the 2,6-isomers in both air (personal exposure) and urine. Conclusion: The present method is simple and practicable and can be useful for biological monitoring of TDI workers.
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The study was supported by Health and Labor Sciences Research Grants (Research on Occupational Safety and Health) from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan, and by The Research and Developement project on the 12 fields of occupational injuries and illnesses of the Japan Labor Health and Welfare Organization, which are gratefully acknowledged.
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Sakai, T., Morita, Y., Roh, J. et al. Improvement in the GC–MS method for determining urinary toluene-diamine and its application to the biological monitoring of workers exposed to toluene-diisocyanate. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 78, 459–466 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-004-0571-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-004-0571-9