title: Assessment of occupational exposure of pharmaceutical plant workers to 5-fluorouracil. Determination of alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine in urine.
abstract: The exposure of pharmaceutical plant workers, involved in drug compounding and drug production, to 5-fluorouracil (5FU) was studied. 5FU was found by the analysis of air and wipe samples. During weighing, 5FU was detected in the air (75 micrograms/m3). 5FU was also present on the filter of the mask of the weigher (120 micrograms). Before drug compounding 5FU was found on the floor (range, < 1 to 8 ng/cm2; median, 2 ng/cm2). After routine cleaning significant higher amounts of 5FU were measured (range, 70 to 630 ng/cm2; median, 150 micrograms/cm2; P = .02). The amounts of 5FU present on several objects were lower when compared to the amounts on the floor. The gloves used were always contaminated (range, 22 to 720 micrograms/pair of gloves; median, 141 micrograms/pair of gloves). The uptake of 5FU was established by the determination of alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine, the main metabolite of 5FU, in the urine of the workers. Fifty micrograms of alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine were found in urine of the weigher.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sessink
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Timmersmans
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Anzion
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bos
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004339:Drug Compounding; D004345:Drug Industry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate / Q000502:physiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011481:Protective Clothing; D015091:beta-Alanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D015091:beta-Alanine; C032348:alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine; D005472:Fluorouracil