Determination of butoxyacetic acid and N-butoxyacetyl-glutamine in urine of lacquerers exposed to 2-butoxyethanol.
To determine the fraction of butoxyacetic acid (BAA) which is excreted as the amino acid conjugate N-butoxyacetylglutamine (BAA-GLN), urine samples of six lacquerers exposed to 2-butoxyethanol (BE) were collected before and after work and analysed using an HPLC-method which allows the simultaneous quantification of both BAA species. Whereas the pre-shift samples contained only little or no butoxyethanol-related material, concentrations of BAA and BAA-GLN amounted collectively to up to 7 mmol/l in the samples obtained at the end of work. The ratio BAA-GLN vs. total BAA ranged from 0.16 to 0.64 (mean value 0.48) indicating that a substantial fraction of BAA was eliminated as the amino acid conjugate. The results demonstrate that BAA-GLN is an important metabolite of BE in man. Procedures employed for the biological monitoring of exposure to BE should therefore include the quantification of BAA-GLN, otherwise exposure levels would be underestimated.
Rettenmeier
A W
AW
Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, University of Tübingen, Federal Republic of Germany.
Hennigs
R
R
Wodarz
R
R
D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005026:Ethylene Glycols / Q000032:analysis*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D006016:Glycolates / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007764:Lacquer; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*
D005026:Ethylene Glycols; D006016:Glycolates; D005973:Glutamine; C083370:N-butoxyacetylglutamine; C017095:n-butoxyacetic acid; C017096:n-butoxyethanol