Acetone: development of a biologic standard for the industrial worker by breath analysis.
Source
NIOSH 1975 Jun; :1-98
Abstract
In order to determine physiological responses and develop a practical biological test to indicate the magnitude of industrial exposure to acetone (67641), 20 healthy adults of both sexes were exposed to known concentrations of acetone vapor in a controlled environment chamber. Exposures consisted of both steady, nonfluctuating vapor concentrations and widely fluctuating vapor concentrations. Male subjects were exposed to acetone vapor concentrations of 0, 200, 1,000, and 1,250ppm for periods of 3 or 7.5 hours. Blood samples were taken. Various neurological and physiological tests were performed. Highly reproducible breath decay curves were obtained. Minimal variation in range of acetone in breath in identically exposed groups indicated breath analysis to be a rapid method for detection of the magnitude of recent acetone exposure and provides a biologic threshold limit. Repetitive exposure to the current threshold limit value (TLV) of 1,000ppm produced no serious health responses in healthy subjects. Changes observed in the visual evoked response of males given 1,250ppm and the possible effect of 1,000ppm on the menstrual cycle indicate that the current TLV may not afford a substantial safety margin.
Keywords
NIOSH-Contract; Contract-099-72-0084; Organic-solvents; Testing; Breathing; Organic-vapors; Vision-tests; Visual-performance; Reproductive-system-disorders; Biological-sampling; Urinalysis; Blood-sampling; Blood-tests; Sensory-processes
Document Type
Final Contract Report
NTIS Accession No.
PB82-172917
Identifying No.
Contract-099-72-0084
Priority Area
Reproductive-system-disorders
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
The Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Environmental Medicine
