R. Heinrich-Ramm1*,
M. Jakubowski2, B. Heinzow3,
J. Molin Christensen4, E. Olsen4,
and O. Hertel5
1Central Institute
of Occupational Health, Adolph-Schönfelder-Str. 5, D-22083 Hamburg,
Germany; 2Institute of Occupational
Medicine, POB 199, 8 Sw. Teresy Str., PL-90 950 Lódz, Poland;
3State Institute of Nature and Environment,
Hamburger Chaussee 25, D-24220 Flintbek, Germany; 4National
Institute of Occupational Health, Lersø Park Allè 105,
DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark; 5National
Environmental Research Institute, Frederiksborg vej 399, P.O. Box 358,
DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Abstract: This paper deals with the appropriate application
of biological monitoring (BM) for exposure to volatile organic compounds
(VOCs). Sampling guidelines, approved analytical procedures, quality
control systems, detailed aspects for the interpretation of biomonitoring
data, a compilation of international biological action values for VOC
exposure at the workplace (e.g., BAT, BEI®),
and state of the art reference values are outlined or referred to in
this review for recommendation as guidelines for health professionals
in occupational and environmental settings.
VOCs are frequently encountered at the workplace, in daily routines
and widely used consumer products. They cover a broad spectrum of chemical
classes with different physicochemical and biological properties. Inhalation
is a prominent route of exposure due to their volatility but many VOCs
can quite readily be absorbed through the skin. BM allows assessment
of the integrated exposure by different routes including inhalation
and concomitant dermal and oral uptakea helpful tool for relating
exposure to body burden and possible health effects. Because of the
different toxicological profiles of VOCs, no uniform approach for BM
can be recommended. VOCs in blood and urinary VOC metabolites are most
often applied for BM. Limit values for workplace exposure have been
established for many VOCs. In this field, profound analytical methodology
and extensive experience exist in numerous international scientific
laboratories for reliable routine application. Contamination and loss
of VOCs during specimen collection, storage and sample treatment, and
applied calibration procedure are the most important uncertainties for
analytical quantification of VOCs in blood. For interpretation of the
analytical results appropriate time of sampling, according to toxicokinetics
of the compound, is crucial due to VOC elimination with short but differing
biological half-lives. Lifestyle factors (such as smoking habits, alcohol
consumption, and dietary habits), workload, personal working habits,
exposure to VOC mixtures and endogeous factors (as genetic polymorphism
for VOC metabolizing enzymes, body mass) contribute to BM results and
have to be considered in detail. Future analytical work should focus
on the improvement of analytical methodology of VOC determination in
body fluids at low-level environmental exposure and evaluation of corresponding
reference intervals.
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*Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. R. Heinrich-Ramm.