Objective: To establish a purge and trap-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method based on soil analysis model for the determination of six benzene homologues (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, p-xylene and o-xylene) in human blood. Methods: From September 2020 to May 2021, diatomite was used as a dispersant to add 2.0 ml blood sample and fully mixed. The sample was directly injected into the purging and collecting bottle after purging. The gas chromatography column was used for separation. The retention time locking was used for qualitative analysis and the selected ion scanning mode (SIM) was used for detection. The detection limit and recovery rate of the method were analyzed. Results: The linear range of the method for the determination of six benzene homologues in human blood was 0.02-10.00 ng/ml, the correlation coefficient was 0.9927-0.9968, the detection limit was 0.006-0.016 ng/ml, the recovery rate of sample spiking was 84.39%-102.41%, and the precision of the method was 3.06%-6.90%. Conclusion: Purge and trap-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry can simultaneously determine the contents of six benzene homologues in human blood. The pretreatment method is simple, time-saving, and the method has low detection limit, which provides a scientific basis for the detection of benzene homologues in human body.
Humans ; Benzene/analysis* ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Xylenes/analysis* ; Benzene Derivatives/analysis* ; Toluene/analysis*

Objective: This study was designed to conduct a retrospective and systematic occupational health risk assessment (OHRA) of enterprises that used benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) in Shanghai, China. Methods: All data for the study were obtained from 1,705 occupational health examination and evaluation reports from 2013 to 2017, and a semiquantitative model following Chinese OHRA guidelines (GBZ/T 298-2017) was applied for the assessment. Results: The selected enterprises using BTX were mainly involved in manufacturing of products. Using the exposure level method, health risk levels associated with exposure to BTX were classified as medium, negligible, or low. However, the risk levels associated with benzene and toluene were significantly different according to job types, with gluers and inkers exhibiting greater health risks. For the same job type, the health risk levels assessed using the comprehensive index method were higher than those using the exposure level method. Conclusion Our OHRA reveals that workers who are exposed to BTX still face excessive health risk. Additionally, the risk level varied depending on job categories and exposure to specific chemicals. Therefore, additional control measures recommended by OHRA guidelines are essential to reduce worker exposure levels.
Air Pollutants, Occupational/analysis* ; Benzene/analysis* ; China ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Toluene/analysis* ; Xylenes/analysis*

OBJECTIVES: We established a Wistar rat model of asthma caused by toluene diisocyanate (TDI) exposure, and investigated the relationship between TDI exposure concentrations and respiratory hypersensitivity, airway inflammation, and cytokine secretions in animals, to better understand the mechanism of TDI induced occupational asthma. METHODS: Wistar rats were exposed to two different concentrations of TDI vapor four hours a day for five consecutive days. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed, and differential leucocytes from the BAL fluid were analyzed. Lung histopathological examination was carried out to investigate the inflammatory status in the airways. Production of cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 productions in the BAL fluid in vivo was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. RESULTS: The TDI-exposed rats exhibited greater airway hypersensitivity symptoms than the control rats. The BAL differential cell count and lung histopathological examination demonstrated that inflammation reactions were present in both the central and peripheral airways, characterized with marked infiltration of eosinophils in the TDI-exposed rats. The cytokine assay showed that IL-4 and IL-5 were predominantly produced in the BAL fluid in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply that TDI exposure concentrations may greatly affect the occurrence and extent of inflammatory events and that Th2 type cytokines may play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of TDI-induced occupational respiratory hypersensitivity.
Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/chemistry/cytology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eosinophils/cytology/immunology ; Female ; Gases/chemistry ; Hypersensitivity/pathology ; Interleukin-4/*analysis ; Interleukin-5/*analysis ; Lung/*drug effects/pathology/secretion ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Toluene 2,4-Diisocyanate/*toxicity

PURPOSE: To determine the prognostic factors of visual outcome in open globe injury and to assess the possibility of an ocular trauma score (OTS) model of predictive value in open globe injuries in Koreans. METHODS: The medical records of 242 patients with open globe injury from 2000 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Prognostic factors of visual outcome, positive predictive rate, and negative predictive rate were surveyed. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, old age, relative afferent pupillary defect, impaired initial visual acuity and retinal detachment were the worst predictive factors of vision survival. In OTS categories 1 and 2, worse final visual acuity was acquired, and positive predictive rate and negative predictive rate for assessment of final visual acuity less than 0.02 were 70.1% and 89.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The prognostic factors of open globe injury associated with impaired final visual acuity were old age, relative afferent pupillary defect, worse initial visual acuity, retinal detachment and OTS categories 1 and 2. The OTS may have prognostic value in open globe injuries in Korean patients. However, identified prognostic factors of the present study did not entirely coincide with those of other Koreans or previous studies. Therefore, additional studies on the modified open globe injury as a prognostic model in Korean patients are needed.
Humans ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pupil Disorders ; Retinal Detachment ; Retrospective Studies ; Sulfonamides ; Toluene ; Vision, Ocular ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVETo explore the characteristics of particulate matter pollution in coke oven plant, so as to provide scientific data for establishing occupational exposure limits for coke oven emissions.

METHODSConcentrations of CO, SO₂, BSM, BTEX (concentrations of benzene, toluene and xylene were determined in this study), PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, 16 selected PAHs in PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ were determined in the work environment of a coke oven plant in Wuhan. The work environment was divided into the adjunct area, the bottom of, the side of and the top of coke oven.

RESULTSThe concentrations of CO, SO₂, BSM, BETX, PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, PAHs in PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ were significantly related to working environmental categories, respectively, and were increasing as the adjunct area < bottom < side < top (P (trend) < 0.05). PM₁₀ was statistically significantly correlated with CO, SO₂, benzene, BTEX and BSM (0.705, 0.823, 0.664, 0.624 and 0.734, respectively). PM₂.₅ was statistically significantly correlated with CO, SO₂, benzene, BTEX and BSM (0.635, 0.916, 0. 680, 0.553 and 0.726, respectively). BSM was statistically significantly correlated with benzene (0.689). The ratios of PM₂.₅ to PM₁₀ between different work environments were not significantly different in one-way ANOVA (P > 0.05). The distribution of aromatic rings and the concentrations of total benzo[a] pyrene equivalents in PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ were not statistically different between work environments.

CONCLUSIONThe concentrations of particulate matter was related with other contents of coke oven emissions in coke work environment, and the contents and types of PAHs in PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ were similar.

Air Pollutants, Occupational ; analysis ; Benzene ; analysis ; Benzo(a)pyrene ; analysis ; Coke ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis ; Particulate Matter ; analysis ; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ; analysis ; Toluene ; analysis ; Workplace ; Xylenes ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo develop a gas chromatography method for determination of residual solvents in 7-amino-3-chloro cephalosporanic acid (7-ACCA).

METHODSThe residual levels of acetone, methanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, isobutanol, pyridine and toluene in 7-ACCA were measured by gas chromatography using Agilent INNOWAX capillary column (30 m × 0.32 mm,0.5 μm). The initial column temperature was 70° maintained for 6 min and then raised (10°C/min) to 160°C for 1 min. Nitrogen gas was used as carrier and FID as detector. The flow of carrier was 1.0 ml/min, the temperature of injection port and detector was 200°C and 250°C, respectively.

RESULTThe limits of detection for acetone, methanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, isobutanol, pyridine, toluene in 7-ACCA were 2.5 μg/ml, 1.5 μg/ml, 15 μg/ml, 2.5 μg/ml, 2.5 μg/ml, 2.5 μg/ml and 11 μg/ml, respectively. Only acetone was detected in the sample, and was less than the limits of Ch.P.

CONCLUSIONThe method can effectively detect the residual solvents in 7-ACCA.

Acetone ; analysis ; Cephalosporins ; Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Drug Contamination ; Methanol ; analysis ; Methylene Chloride ; analysis ; Solvents ; analysis ; Toluene ; analysis

Environmental Monitoring ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; Toluene ; analysis

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the health effects of exposure to BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, m,p-Xylene, o-Xylene) in the Taean area after the Hebei Spirit oil spill. METHODS: We used a questionnaire survey to look for health effects among 80 pregnant women 2 to 3 months following the Hebei Spirit oil spill. Their BTEX exposures were estimated using the CALPUFF method. We then used a multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate the effects of BTEX exposure on the women's health effets. RESULTS: Pregnant women who lived near the accident site reported more symptoms of eye irritation and headache than those who lived farther from the site. There was a trend of decreasing symptoms with an increase in distance from the spill site. Pregnant women exposed to higher ambient cumulative levels of Xylene were significantly more likely to report symptoms of the skin (OR 8.01 95% CI=1.74-36.76) in the first day after the accident and significantly more likely to report abdominal pain (OR 3.86 95% CI=1.02-14.59 for Ethylbenzene, OR 6.70 95% CI=1.82-24.62 for Xylene) during the 1st through 4th days following the accident. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that exposure to BTEX from an oil spill is correlated with an increased risk of health effects among pregnant women. This implies the need to take proper measures, including the development of a national policy for environmental health emergencies and a plan for studying the short- and long-term chronic health effects associated with such spills.
Adult ; Benzene/*adverse effects/analysis ; Benzene Derivatives/*adverse effects/analysis ; *Disasters ; *Environmental Exposure ; Environmental Pollutants/*adverse effects/analysis ; Eye Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; *Petroleum ; Pregnancy ; Questionnaires ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Skin Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Time Factors ; Toluene/analysis ; *Women's Health ; Xylenes/analysis

OBJECTIVES: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and toluene have been reported to induce reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. This study was performed to investigate the effects of low level exposure to PAHs or toluene on the lipid peroxidation level in elementary school children and the elderly in a rural area. METHODS: Forty seven elementary school children and 40 elderly people who were living in a rural area and not occupationally exposed to PAH or toluene were the subjects of this study. Information about active or passive smoking and diet was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. The urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 2-naphthol, hippuric acid and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations were measured, and these values were corrected with the urinary creatinine concentration. RESULTS: In school children, the geometric means of the urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol, hippuric acid and TBARS levels were 0.02 ymol/mol creatinine, 0.47 micron mol/mol creatinine, 0.14 g/g creatinine and 0.95 micron mol/g creatinine, respectively. Those values for the elderly were 0.07 micron mol/mol creatinine, 1.87 micron mol/mol creatinine, 0.11 g/g creatinine and 1.18 micron mol/g creatinine, respectively. The mean levels of urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol and TBARS were significantly higher in the elderly subjects than in the children. The urinary TBARS level was not correlated with the urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol and hippuric acid, but they were correlated with the age of the subjects. CONCLSIONS: These results suggest that low level inhalation exposure to PAH or toluene does not markedly increase lipid peroxidation, and age is a significant determinant of lipid peroxidation.
Child ; Environmental Exposure/*adverse effects ; Environmental Pollutants/*toxicity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic/*toxicity ; *Rural Population ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances/*analysis ; Toluene/*toxicity ; Urinalysis

OBJECTIVETo determine the contents of the residual solvents, methanol, ethanol, toluene, dichloromethane and dioxane in ranolazine raw material.

METHODSHeadspace gas chromatography was used to analyze the residual solvents quantitatively. Samples were analyzed on an HP-INNOWAX column with column temperature at 45 degrees Celsius; using water as solvent.

RESULTSFive residual solvents were completely separated. The liner range and recoveries were satisfied. RSD of precision and accuracy was less than 8% with average recoveries between 87.1% and 105.6%.

CONCLUSIONThe method could be used for the quality control of ranolazine raw material.

Acetanilides ; analysis ; Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Drug Contamination ; prevention & control ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; analysis ; Ethanol ; analysis ; Methanol ; analysis ; Piperazines ; analysis ; Ranolazine ; Reproducibility of Results ; Solvents ; analysis ; Toluene ; analysis