Volatile halogenated hydrocarbons in ambient air and the metabolites in human urine in an urban area

The risk of daily exposure to volatile halogenated hydrocarbons (VHH) in ambient air was assessed by the urinary concentration of VHH metabolites. Thirty residents in the urban Tokyo area, 13 males and 17 females, aged at 7 to 78, were enrolled in the present study. They were requested to carry passive gas samplers adsorbing chemicals in the ambient air during daily activities. The mean levels (mean+/-S.D.) of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in the breathing air for 12 h were 3.4 +/- 2.4 mu g/m(3), 2.0 +/- 1.3 mu g/m(3) and 1.1 +/- 0.8 mu g/m(3), respectively. The daily intake of individual VHH was calculated to be 68, 40 and 23 mu g/person for 1,1,1-TCE, TCE and PCE, respectively, while women inhaled twice as much VHH as men. Since total VHH levels in the breathing air correlated well with the levels of urinary metabolites (r=0.80), the latter could be employed as a biological index representing the level of exposure to VHH.