The urinary concentration of solvents as a biological indicator of exposure: proposal for the biological equivalent exposure limit for nine solvents.

Organic solvents are generally volatile substances that are absorbed mainly through the lungs; they are eliminated chiefly through the lungs and kidneys. In urine they are present as metabolites and, in very little part, as parent compound. The urinary concentration of solvent (Cu) can be used for the biological monitoring of exposed subjects to evaluate their exposure and correlate with the Threshold Limit Value (TLV) during the working day. The authors report some results obtained with workers occupationally exposed to solvents. The results concern the correlation between urinary concentration (Cu, micrograms/L) vs. average environmental concentration (Ci, mg/m3) measured in the breathing zone. For each solvent studied (acetone, 2-cyclohexane, 1,2-dichloropropane, n-hexane, methyl ethyl ketone, perchloroethylene, styrene, toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane) the authors propose a Biological Equivalent Exposure Limit (BEEL) corresponding to the environmental TLV.