n-Hexane urine elimination and weighted exposure concentration

Summary The concentration of n-hexane in urine was determined in 30 subjects occupationally exposed to n-hexane (median value 59.6 mg/m³) in a shoe factory. The measurement of the substance was performed by means of a Hewlett-Packard 5880 gas chromatograph supplied with a Hewlett-Packard 5970 Mass Selective Detector. The analyses were performed by the head space method (constant volume method, after determination of the urine partition coefficient by the multiple phase equilibration method). The authors found a significant correlation between the n-hexane urine concentrations (g/1, Cu) and the n-hexane environmental concentrations (mg/m³, Ci) (r = 0.84; Cu = 0.0669 x Ci + 0.8396).This work was supported by the research funds given to Fondazione Clinica del Lavoro, Pavia by the Health Council