Urinary excretion half life of trichloroacetic acid as a biomarker of exposure to chlorinated drinking water disinfection by-products.
OBJECTIVE
To measure accurately urinary elimination half life of trichloroacetic acid (TCAA).


METHODS
A longitudinal pilot exposure/intervention study measured the elimination half life of TCAA in urine. Beverage consumption was limited to a public water supply and bottled water of known TCAA concentration, and ingestion volume was managed. The five participants limited fluid consumption to only the water provided. Consumption journals were kept by each participant and their daily first morning urine (FMU) samples were analysed for TCAA and creatinine. TCAA elimination half life curves were generated from a two week washout period using TCAA-free bottled water.


RESULTS
Individual elimination half lives ranged from 2.1 to 6.3 days, for single compartment exponential decay, the model which fit the data.


CONCLUSIONS
Urinary TCAA is persistent enough to be viable as a biomarker of medium term (days) exposure to drinking water TCAA ingestion within a range of realistic concentrations.
Bader
E L
EL
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, 10-102 Clinical Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3, Canada.
Hrudey
S E
SE
Froese
K L
KL
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine; D002424:Caustics / Q000032:analysis*; D002713:Chlorine; D004203:Disinfection; D004326:Drinking; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D014869:Water Intoxication / Q000652:urine*
D015415:Biomarkers; D002424:Caustics; D002713:Chlorine; D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid