Use of exhaled air as an improved biomonitoring method to assess perchloroethylene short-term exposure.
This paper shows the use of exhaled air as a biomonitoring method to assess perchloroethylene (PERC) environmental and occupational exposure. A sensitive, fast, and solvent free analytical method was developed to determine PERC in ambient and exhaled air of individuals occupationally exposed. The developed method used cold fiber solid phase microextraction (CF-SPME) as the sampling technique, and a standard permeation method to simulation of air matrix. The analysis were conducted by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The methods were validated and were found to be precise, linear and sensitive for environmental and biological monitoring. The developed methods were applied to twenty-seven sampling points spread across Belo Horizonte city, Brazil, twenty four dry cleaners, an electroplating industry, a research laboratory, and an automotive paint preparation shop. The results of ambient air analyses ranging from 14.0 to 3205.0µgm-3with median concentration of 599.0µgm-3. Furthermore, sampling of exhaled air of individuals occupationally exposed presented results ranging from 6.0 to 2635.0µgm-3with median concentration of 325.0µgm-3. The strong correlation observed between ambient and exhaled air (r =0.930) demonstrates that exhaled air is a suitable biomarker for evaluating occupational exposure to PERC.
Departamento de Química, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Cláudia M
CM
Dias
Departamento de Química, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Helvécio C
HC
Menezes
Departamento de Química, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: zenilda@ufmg.br.
Zenilda L
ZL
Cardeal
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001938:Brazil; D001944:Breath Tests; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D045853:Exhalation; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D052617:Solid Phase Microextraction; D013750:Tetrachloroethylene / Q000032:analysis*; D055815:Young Adult
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D015415:Biomarkers; D013750:Tetrachloroethylene
Ambient air; Exhaled air; Occupational exposure; Perchloroethylene