Biological monitoring of naphthalene exposed workers - an example of application

Naphthalene is a component of coal tar and its products, an industrial chemical and an important raw material for the chemical industry. It is formed unintentionally in combustion processes and is therefore ubiquitous in the environment. Animal studies indicate that naphthalene causes inflammations of the nasal epithelium and carcinogenic effects. Naphthalene can be absorbed via oral, inhalational, and dermal routes. Biological monitoring methods are available for naphthalene. However, there are no limit values or guideline values for the interpretation of biological monitoring results. Nevertheless, an example from the abrasives industry demonstrates that biological monitoring of naphthalene exposed workers is useful. An exposure assessment was performed by comparison of pre-shift to after-shift results as well as employees to control persons.