2-Ethylhexanol: A Potential Biological Indicator of Occupational Exposure to the Plasticizer di(2-Ethylhexyl)phthalate

Abstract

The urinary metabolite 2-ethylhexanol (2-EH) was investigated as a potential biological indicator of occupational exposure to the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Urine and personal air samples were collected for 2.5 workshifts from seven plasticized resin workers and two controls. DEHP concentrations in workplace air were below 0.25 mg/m\sp3 (provincial limit 5 mg/m\sp3). Airborne 2-EH, which was produced from heating DEHP, ranged from 0.92 to 4.5 mg/m\sp3. Urinary 2-EH was determined by a new analytical method which used solid phase extraction of 2-EH followed by esterification with trichloro acetic anhydride and analysis by GC-ECD. The limit of detection was 0.01μg/ml. Urinary 2-EH in exposed workers generally increased following each workshift and ranged from undetected to 13.54μg/mmol creatinine. Analysis of the correlation between DEHP exposure and urinan, 2-EH was inconclusive due to the limited sample size of the study. Neither DEHP nor 2-EH (airborne or urinary) were detected in controls.