Perchloroethylene in Alveolar Air, Blood, and Urine as Biologic Indices of Low-Level Exposure

Learning ObjectivesDiscuss the epidemiological aspects of perchloroethylene (PCE) pollution and its potential to cause disease and the indices for monitoring PCE exposure.Report on how closely estimates of PCE in blood, urine, and alveolar air correlate with ambient levels, and how well these estimates correlate with one another.Compare the merits and drawbacks of monitoring PCE exposure by measuring its concentration in alveolar air, blood, or urine. We studied the reliability of biologic indices for monitoring perchlorethylene (PCE) exposure at low environmental solvent concentrations. Environmental monitoring was performed by personal sampling, biologic monitoring by measuring PCE in alveolar air (PCE-Alv), blood (PCE-B), and urine (PCE-U) in 26 low-exposed dry-cleaners. Correlation coefficients (r) between environmental PCE and PCE-B, PCE-Alv, and PCE-U were 0.94, 0.81, and 0.67 respectively. A high correlation was also found among biologic indices:r value was 0.96 between PCE-B and PCE-Alv, 0.95 between PCE-B and PCE-U, and 0.87 between alveolar PCE-Alv and PCE-U. The examined biologic indices proved sensitive enough for biologic monitoring of low exposure to PCE and can give substantially similar information in terms of exposure evaluation. PCE-Alv offers some advantages because it correlated better with exposure and is analytically simpler.

[1]  G. Johanson,et al.  Toxicokinetics of organic solvents: a review of modifying factors. , 1998, Critical reviews in toxicology.

[2]  L. Weber.  Desorption Kinetics of Trichloroethylene and Perchloroethylene from Cotton Fabrics , 1992 .

[3]  A. Monster.  Biological monitoring of chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents. , 1986, Journal of occupational medicine. : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association.

[4]  W. Popp,et al.  Concentrations of tetrachloroethene in blood and trichloroacetic acid in urine in workers and neighbours of dry-cleaning shops , 1992, International archives of occupational and environmental health.

[5]  E Righi,et al.  Two-year evolution of perchloroethylene-induced color-vision loss. , 1998, Archives of environmental health.

[6]  Fabriziomaria Gobba,et al.  Perchloroethylene exposure can induce colour vision loss , 1994, Neuroscience Letters.

[7]  E Righi,et al.  Occupational and environmental exposure to perchloroethylene (PCE) in dry cleaners and their family members. , 1994, Archives of environmental health.

[8]  American Conference Of Governmental Industrial Hygienists 1998 Ventilation A O , 2019 .

[9]  Sarah R. Armstrong,et al.  Chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents. , 2004, Clinics in occupational and environmental medicine.

[10]  E Righi,et al.  Indoor exposure to perchloroethylene (PCE) in individuals living with dry-cleaning workers. , 1994, The Science of the total environment.

[11]  P. Droz,et al.  Ethnic differences in biological monitoring of several organic solvents. I. Human exposure experiment , 1997, International archives of occupational and environmental health.

[12]  L J Skender,et al.  A comparative study of human levels of trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene after occupational exposure. , 1991, Archives of environmental health.

[13]  M. Gochfeld,et al.  Factors Influencing Tetrachloroethylene Concentrations in Residences above Dry-Cleaning Establishments , 2000, Archives of environmental health.

[14]  R. Lauwerys,et al.  Industrial chemical exposure : guidelines for biological monitoring , 1993 .

[15]  T. Robins,et al.  Perchloroethylene exposure assessment among dry cleaning workers. , 1990, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal.

[16]  E. Capodaglio,et al.  The urinary excretion of solvents and gases for the biological monitoring of occupational exposure: a review. , 1997, The Science of the total environment.

[17]  E Capodaglio,et al.  Urinary excretion of tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) in experimental and occupational exposure. , 1988, Archives of environmental health.

[18]  M. Ikeda,et al.  Monitoring of occupational exposure to tetrachloroethene by analysis for unmetabolized tetrachloroethene in blood and urine in comparison with urinalysis for trichloroacetic acid , 2000, International archives of occupational and environmental health.

[19]  Robert Lauwerys,et al.  General-principles of Biological Monitoring of Exposure To Chemicals , 1984 .

[20]  N C Hawkins,et al.  Effects of selected process parameters on emission rates of volatile organic chemicals from carpet. , 1992, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal.