Monitoring exposure to 4,4'-methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline) through the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry measurement of adducts to hemoglobin.

4,4'-Methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA) is widely used as a curing agent in the plastics industry. The determination of the covalently bound reaction products to hemoglobin (Hb) has been investigated as a biomonitoring method for occupational exposure to this potential human carcinogen. Initial studies using the 14C-ring-labeled MOCA showed that 24 hr after a single IP dosage to rats (3.74 mumole/kg), 0.08% of the administered dose was adducted to the Hb, and base hydrolysis liberated 38% of the bound radioactivity. The only product released on hydrolysis was the parent diamine. A specific and sensitive assay procedure using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been developed for determining the base-released MOCA adduct down to levels of 20 pmole/g Hb. This method has been used to establish a linear dose-response relationship in IP dosed rats between production of the adduct and dose of MOCA (3.74-44.94 mumole/kg). It is proposed to use analysis of the Hb adduct as a dosimeter for industrial workers exposed to MOCA.