1987 Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 103-112
A method for the microdetermination of trichloro-compounds excreted in the urine of workers exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) was developed. The glucuronide of trichloroethanol was hydrolyzed enzymatically to trichloroethanol, which was then treated with pyridine and potassium hydroxide.
The product was treated with p-chloroaniline. The absorbance of the stable-colored product was read in a spectrophotometer at 500 nm. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) was assayed similarly by omitting the enzymatic hydrolysis. Absorbance obtained by the present method for TCE or TCA was approximately 3 times as much as that obtained by the alkalipyridine method. The use of toxic and carcino-genic chromium oxide was avoided in the present method.
In order to investigate the relationship between the trichloroethylene concentra-tion in the working environments and the metabolite concentrations in the urine, surveys were made at several workshops in automobile parts factories. Urine samples collected from workers were analyzed for TCA, TCE and total trichloro-compounds (TTC).
The urinary levels of TCA, TCE and TTC were proportional to the environmental concentration of tricholoroethylene. The urinary concentrations corresponding to 50 ppm (TLV) of triehloroethylene were : TCA, 136 ; TCE, 202 ; and TTC, 338 mg/g of creatinine.
