title: Levels of metals and organic substances in blood and urine of workers at a new hazardous waste incinerator.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess baseline concentrations of a number of metals and organic compounds in blood and urine of 28 workers employed at a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI), before operation of the plant.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma analyses of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were carried out. The urinary levels of 2,4- and 2,5-dichlorophenol (DCPs), 2,4,5- and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCPs) and pentachlorophenol (PCP), as well as those of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP) were also measured. Beryllium (Be), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) concentrations were determined in total blood, while the levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V) were measured in urine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-xylene were under their respective detection limits. The concentrations of HCB, PCBs and PCDD/Fs in plasma of the HWI workers, chlorophenols (CLPs) and 1-HP urinary concentrations, as well as those of metals in blood and urine are shown. PCDD/F concentrations in plasma of the new HWI workers ranged between 13.4 and 84.0 pg international toxic equivalents (I-TEQ)/g lipid, with a geometric mean value of 24.4 pg I-TEQ/g lipid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCDD/F levels, as well as the concentrations of PCBs were of the same order of magnitude as those recently obtained for non-occupationally exposed populations of Catalonia (Spain). No significant gender differences were found for the levels of HCB, PCBs and PCDD/Fs. Although the present results showed a notable variability in the levels of CLPs, geometric mean values of these compounds were similar or even lower than those considered as potential reference values. Metal concentrations in blood and urine were also of the same order of magnitude than previously reported metal levels in the same area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results should be useful in future surveys in which internal exposure of the HWI workers will be determined.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus, Spain. jlldr@fmcs.urv.es
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Domingo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuhmacher
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Agramunt
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Neugebauer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001554:Benzene / Q000032:analysis; D002104:Cadmium / Q000652:urine; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002857:Chromium / Q000652:urine; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D017745:Incineration; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009532:Nickel / Q000652:urine; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014050:Toluene / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D014639:Vanadium / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D006256:Hazardous Waste; D008670:Metals; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D002104:Cadmium; D014639:Vanadium; D002857:Chromium; D007854:Lead; D014050:Toluene; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D009532:Nickel; D001554:Benzene