RESUMEN
Sulfur mustard (SM) which is a bifunctional alkylating vesicant is one of the mostly used chemical warfare agent in First World War and the Iran-Iraq War. ß-Lyase metabolites of SM especially 1,1'-sulfonylbis[2-(methylthio)ethane] (SBMTE) is an unequivocal biomarker of the exposure. An optimized gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the retrospective detection of SBMTE in human urine. Urine samples were treated with acidic titanium trichloride to reduce ß-lyase metabolites to the single analyte SBMTE. After neutralization and precipitation, SBMTE was extracted from urine by C8 solid-phase extraction cartridge and analyzed in the multiple-reaction monitoring mode. The lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL with relative standard deviation of <10%. Acceptable intra-day and inter-day precisions and accuracies were obtained. The developed method was successfully measured various levels of SBMTE which could be used as the forensic evidence of such a chemical attack.
Asunto(s)
Etano/orina , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas/métodos , Biomarcadores/química , Biomarcadores/orina , Sustancias para la Guerra Química/metabolismo , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales/análisis , Etano/metabolismo , Humanos , Liasas/orina , Gas Mostaza/metabolismo , Estudios Retrospectivos , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Espectrometría de Masas en Tándem/métodosAsunto(s)
Pruebas Respiratorias , Etano/análogos & derivados , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Hidrocarburos Clorados/análisis , Exposición Profesional , Tetracloruro de Carbono/análisis , Tetracloruro de Carbono/sangre , Tetracloruro de Carbono/orina , Cloroformo/análisis , Cloroformo/sangre , Cloroformo/orina , Etano/análisis , Etano/sangre , Etano/orina , Humanos , Hidrocarburos Clorados/sangre , Hidrocarburos Clorados/orina , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Solventes , Tetracloroetileno/análisis , Tetracloroetileno/sangre , Tetracloroetileno/orina , Factores de Tiempo , Tricloroetileno/análisis , Tricloroetileno/sangre , Tricloroetileno/orinaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The present study was initiated to examine a quantitative relationship between tetrachloroethene (TETRA) in blood and urine with TETRA in air, and to compare TETRA in blood or urine with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in urine as exposure markers. METHODS: In total, 44 workers (exposed to TETRA during automated, continuous cloth-degreasing operations), and ten non-exposed subjects volunteered to participate in the study. The exposure to vapor was monitored by diffusive sampling. The amounts of TETRA and TCA in end-of-shift blood and urine samples were measured by either head-space gas chromatography (HS-GC) or automated methylation followed by HS-GC. The correlation was examined by regression analysis. RESULTS: The maximum time-weighted average (TWA) concentration for TETRA-exposure was 46 ppm. Regression analysis for correlation of TETRA in blood, TETRA in urine and TCA in urine, with TETRA in air, showed that the coefficient was largest for the correlation between TETRA in air and TETRA in blood. The TETRA in blood, in urine and in air correlated mutually, whereas TCA in urine correlated more closely with TETRA in blood than with TETRA in urine. The TCA values determined by colorimetry and by the GC method were very similar. The biological marker levels at a hypothetical exposure of 25 ppm TETRA were substantially higher in the present study than were the levels reported in the literature. Possible reasons are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Blood TETRA is the best marker of occupational exposure to TETRA, being superior to the traditional marker, urinary TCA.