No abstract

Chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents are often used for dry-cleaning clothes in the laundry industry. The object of this study was to monitor the occupational exposure of dry-clean employees coming into contact with VOXs. Twenty five workers collected their urine samples before the work shift, after 4 h of work and after the work shift. The analyses of urine samples and solvents used in dry-cleaning were performed using TLHS-DAI-GC-ECD. Chloroform was detected in all urine samples, and dichloromethane and tetrachloroethene in nearly all urine samples collected before and after the work shift. The concentrations of the compounds determined in urine samples were higher at the end of the workday in directly exposed individuals. Concentrations of the compounds determined in urine samples depended mainly on the type of activities carried out at the dry-cleaning establishments.

In the present study, pervaporation was applied to the determination of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and dichloromethane (DCM) in liquid samples. PCE is the most commonly used solvent in drycleaning processes. PCE belongs to group 2A of carcinogens (probably carcinogenic to humans) according to the classification of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). DCM is also widely used as an industrial solvent for the purification and isolation of intermediates or products. DCM is classified as a “possible” human carcinogen by the IARC. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new procedure for the determination of DCM and PCE in liquid samples based on the pervaporative removal of DCM and PCE from liquid samples as an analyte isolation/enrichment technique, followed by a direct aqueous injection of the extracts onto the column of a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector (DAI-GC-ECD). The basic parameters of the new PV-DAI-GC-ECD procedure were evaluated.