title: Determination of 4-methyl-cis-hexahydrophthalic anhydride in human blood by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection.
abstract: A gas-chromatographic technique using 63Ni electron-capture detection was applied to the determination of 4-methyl-cis-hexahydrophthalic anhydride in the blood of workers occupationally exposed to this airborne agent. The detection limit was 0.24 nmol ml-1. For occupational exposure to between 0.14 and 0.31 mg m-3 of the anhydride, the anhydride concentration in the workers' blood samples ranged from 3.4 to 10.7 nmol ml-1. The results are consistent with earlier findings in animal exposure experiments and support the view that the hydrolysis of the anhydride in a biological medium is not spontaneous, but might be an enzyme-catalysed reaction. The resulting dicarboxylic acid is excreted by the kidneys without further conjugation reactions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pfäffli
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Savolainen
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010796:Phthalic Anhydrides / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D010796:Phthalic Anhydrides; C051070:4-methylcyclohexyl-1,6-dicarboxylic acid anhydride