Iwata M, Takeuchi Y, Hisanaga N, Ono Y
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1983;51(3):253-60. doi: 10.1007/BF00377756.
n-Hexane is one of the solvents widely used in industry and well known to be neurotoxic. Recently it was clearly revealed that n-hexane is metabolized in vivo and its metabolites are excreted in the urine. However, the relationship between the exposed dose of n-hexane and the metabolites in the urine has not yet been substantially determined. Therefore, in this investigation we intended to clarify the above relationship in order to establish its usefulness for biological monitoring of n-hexane exposure. The exposed dose was measured by means of a personal monitoring badge worn by workers in seven factories manufacturing vinyl sandals. The time-weighted average (TWA) concentration of n-hexane was 0.2-47.4 ppm. The n-hexane metabolites in the urine of 22 workers were measured with modified Perbellini's method [12] in the early morning (6:00-7:00 hrs) and at 17:00 hrs. 2,5-Dimethylfuran, 2,5-hexanedione and gamma-valerolactone were identified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometory. At 17:00 hrs the means +/- SD of the metabolites were 0.21 +/- 0.11 mg/l for 2,5-dimethylfuran, 1.13 +/- 0.71 mg/l for 2,5-hexanedione, and 2.04 +/- 2.31 mg/l for gamma-valerolactone. The metabolites were also found in the urine in the early morning. 2-Hexanol was not detected in the urine of any worker examined. A strong correlation between TWA concentration of n-hexane and 2,5-hexanedione in the urine was found at 17:00 hrs (r = 0.895, P less than 0.001). The results suggest that the urinary metabolites of n-hexane, especially 2,5-hexanedione, could be useful indicators for biological monitoring of n-hexane exposure. Furthermore the present study offers the advantage of a better estimate of n-hexane TWA.
正己烷是工业上广泛使用的溶剂之一，众所周知具有神经毒性。最近有研究明确表明，正己烷在体内会发生代谢，其代谢产物会通过尿液排出。然而，正己烷的暴露剂量与尿液中代谢产物之间的关系尚未得到充分确定。因此，在本研究中，我们旨在阐明上述关系，以便确定其在正己烷暴露生物监测中的实用性。通过佩戴在七家生产乙烯基凉鞋的工厂工人身上的个人监测徽章来测量暴露剂量。正己烷的时间加权平均（TWA）浓度为0.2 - 47.4 ppm。采用改良的佩贝利尼方法[12]，在清晨（6:00 - 7:00时）和17:00时对22名工人尿液中的正己烷代谢产物进行了测量。通过气相色谱和质谱法鉴定出了2,5 - 二甲基呋喃、2,5 - 己二酮和γ - 戊内酯。在17:00时，2,5 - 二甲基呋喃代谢产物的均值±标准差为0.21±0.11 mg/l，2,5 - 己二酮为1.13±0.71 mg/l，γ - 戊内酯为2.04±2.31 mg/l。清晨尿液中也发现了这些代谢产物。在所检查的任何工人尿液中均未检测到2 - 己醇。在17:00时发现正己烷的TWA浓度与尿液中的2,5 - 己二酮之间存在强相关性（r = 0.895，P < 0.001）。结果表明，正己烷的尿液代谢产物，尤其是2,5 - 己二酮，可能是正己烷暴露生物监测的有用指标。此外，本研究具有能更好地估计正己烷TWA的优势。
