Occupational Medicine 1995;45:147-150
© 1995 Society of Occupational Medicine
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Environmental and biological monitoring of occupational exposure to 1,1,1 -trichloroethane


* Department of Industrial Health, Ministry of Labour Singapore
Department of Scientific Services, Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine Singapore
Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore Singapore
Fifty workers involved in various degreasing and cleaning processes using 1,1,1-trichioroethane (1,1,1-TCE) were studied with respect to personal and static exposures. In addition, end-of-shift expired air and venous blood samples were taken for analysis of the parent compound. Urinary samples were also obtained at the same time for analysis of its metabolites - trichioroethanol (TCOH) and trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The results show that open/manual degreasing processes generate the highest environmental solvent levels (mean = 819.9 mg/m3; SD = 781.9 mg/m3) followed by jet-spray cleaning (mean = 460.5 mg/m3; SD = 292.4 mg/m3), vapour degreasing (mean = 365.3 mg/m3; SD = 279.9 mg/m3) and ultrasonic degreasing (mean = 134.7 mg/m3; SD = 121.0 mg/m3). Personal exposure levels were well correlated with concentrations of 1,1,1-TCE in end-of-shift expired air (r = 0.81) and venous blood samples (r = 0.88) but only moderately correlated with concentrations of its metabolites in urine (r = 0.49 for TCOH; r = 0.58 for TCA). Static (area) samples were poorly correlated with the biological exposure indices studied.
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Peter Tay, Department of Industrial Health, Ministry of Labour Singapore, 18 Havelock Road, #05-01, MOL Building, Singapore 0105
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