Abstract
Occupational exposure to carbon tetrachloride was studied by analysis of environmental air, blood, and urine from 55 workers operating in two chemical plants where carbon tetrachloride was used. For the measurement of environmental concentration of carbon tetrachloride (Ci), the ambient air was sampled using personal passive dosimeters. The activated charcoal was de-sorbed with carbon disulfide and injected into a gas cromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MSD). The biological monitoring of exposed workers was conducted by determining the concentration of carbon tetrachloride in blood and urine. Urine and blood concentrations of carbon tetrachloride were determined by headspace analysis using GC-MSD. Significant correlations were found between the environmental carbon tetrachloride concentration and the blood and urinary concentrations. The use of a regression equation between Cu (ng/L) and Ci (mg/m3) (Cu = 125.7 × Ci + 56.2) result in a value of Cu corresponding to threshold limit value-time-weighted average exposure value (31 mg/m3 mg) of 3100 ng/L.
