[Determination of urinary metabolites of organic solvents among chemical industry workers].

With the revision made to the Regulation on the Prevention of Organic Solvent Poisoning in June 30, 1989, analysis of urine must be made for metabolites as a part of the health examination of workers exposed to xylene, N,N-dimethylformamide, styrene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, toluene, and n-hexane. In accordance with this Regulation, health examinations were conducted at eight factories of five chemical manufactures in 1990. This report presents the results obtained for 1,073 workers as compiled by the Committee of Industrial Health of the Japan Urea and Ammonium Sulfate Industry Association. 1) The results of data analysis have shown that workers whose urine was collected when they had been exposed to an imperceptible degree to organic solvent or who underwent urine collection during an unknown period of time after exposure numbered 615 or 57.3% of all the workers. 2) Workers whose urine was collected within about 5 hours after exposure numbered 458 (42.7%). The metabolite concentrations in these workers were significantly lower than the BEI values. 3) It may be concluded from the results that workers were exposed to organic solvents to an extremely small extent during organic solvent handling operations at chemical industry factories which maintain good control over toxic materials.