Hyoung-Ah Kim1, Kangyoon Kim, Yong Heo, Se-Hoon Lee, Ho-Chun Choi. 1. Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine and Institute of Industrial Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Puchon, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) exposure and excretion of urinary N-acetyl- S-( N-methylcarbamoyl)cysteine (AMCC) and N-methylformamide (NMF) in workers at synthetic leather manufacturing factories in Korea, for the first time. METHODS: One-hundred forty-four male workers at nine synthetic leather manufacturing factories were surveyed. Exposure to DMF was evaluated through breathing zone air sampling followed by analysis via a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The levels of NMF and AMCC were determined by a GC with a flame thermionic detector (GC-FTD). Urine samples were collected at the end of the workshift. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Geometric mean of workplace air DMF and urinary NMF was 8.8 ppm and 47.5 mg/l, respectively, and the level of DMF and NMF was significantly correlated. The biological exposure limit for NMF (15 mg/ml) was exceeded in 89.5% of urine samples, and 37.9% of air samples exceeded the environmental DMF exposure limit (10 ppm), indicating a serious health risk to the employees of the synthetic leather industry in Korea. Exposure to 10 ppm DMF in the workplace air corresponded to a urinary NMF concentration of 53.4 mg/l. Alcohol intake the day before urine was sampled influenced NMF excretion into urine (40.5 mg/l NMF for the no-alcohol group and 94.6 mg/l for the group consuming more than 63.0 g alcohol/day). We could not find a significant relationship between air DMF and urinary AMCC concentration. Exposure to 10 ppm DMF corresponded to an AMCC concentration of 8.0 mg/l in the urine samples collected on the same day as the air was sampled.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) exposure and excretion of urinary N-acetyl- S-( N-methylcarbamoyl)cysteine (AMCC) and N-methylformamide (NMF) in workers at synthetic leather manufacturing factories in Korea, for the first time. METHODS: One-hundred forty-four male workers at nine synthetic leather manufacturing factories were surveyed. Exposure to DMF was evaluated through breathing zone air sampling followed by analysis via a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The levels of NMF and AMCC were determined by a GC with a flame thermionic detector (GC-FTD). Urine samples were collected at the end of the workshift. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Geometric mean of workplace air DMF and urinary NMF was 8.8 ppm and 47.5 mg/l, respectively, and the level of DMF and NMF was significantly correlated. The biological exposure limit for NMF (15 mg/ml) was exceeded in 89.5% of urine samples, and 37.9% of air samples exceeded the environmental DMF exposure limit (10 ppm), indicating a serious health risk to the employees of the synthetic leather industry in Korea. Exposure to 10 ppm DMF in the workplace air corresponded to a urinary NMF concentration of 53.4 mg/l. Alcohol intake the day before urine was sampled influenced NMF excretion into urine (40.5 mg/l NMF for the no-alcohol group and 94.6 mg/l for the group consuming more than 63.0 g alcohol/day). We could not find a significant relationship between air DMF and urinary AMCC concentration. Exposure to 10 ppm DMF corresponded to an AMCC concentration of 8.0 mg/l in the urine samples collected on the same day as the air was sampled.
Authors: T Nomiyama; H Nakashima; L L Chen; S Tanaka; H Miyauchi; T Yamauchi; H Sakurai; K Omae Journal: Int Arch Occup Environ Health Date: 2001-04 Impact factor: 3.015
Authors: T Kawai; T Yasugi; K Mizunuma; T Watanabe; S X Cai; M Y Huang; L Q Xi; J B Qu; B Z Yao; M Ikeda Journal: Int Arch Occup Environ Health Date: 1992 Impact factor: 3.015