Page:NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods - 8002.pdf/1

 METHYL ETHYL KETONE, ETHANOL, and TOLUENE in blood (1) CH3CH2COCH3 (2) CH3CH2OH (3) C7H8

MW:

72.11 46.07 92.14

METHOD: 8002, Issue 2

CAS:

78-93-3 64-17-5 108-88-3

RTECS:

EVALUATION: PARTIAL

8002

EL6475000 KQ6300000 XS5250000

Issue 1: 15 February 1984 Issue 2: 15 August 1994

BIOLOGICAL INDICATOR OF: exposure to 2-butanone, ethanol, and toluene.

SYNONYMS: (1) MEK: 2-butanone; methyl ethyl ketone (2) ethanol: ethyl alcohol (3) toluene: methyl benzene

BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING SPECIMEN:

venous blood, after 2 or more h exposure

MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE:

GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY, FID

CONTAINER: 5-mL heparin-coated vacuum tube

ANALYTE:

MEK, ethanol, toluene (simultaneous)

SHIPMENT:

air express @ 4 °C

STABILITY:

stable @ 4 °C for 3 weeks

TEMPERATURE-INJECTION: - DETECTOR: -COLUMN:

CONTROLS: pre-shift whole blood samples as well as whole blood samples from non-exposed controls ACCURACY: (1) ±28.6% (2) ±13.0% (3) ±26.2%

150 °C 200 °C 85 °C (4 min), 85 to 200°C @ 16 °C/min, 220°C (4 min)

CARRIER GAS:

helium, 25 mL/min

COLUMN:

glass, 3 m × 2-mm ID, 5% Carbowax 20 M on 100/120 mesh Chromosorb WHP

CALIBRATION:

blood standards containing analytes

RANGE:

(1) 0.1 to 8 µg/mL (2) 0.01 to 0.6 mg/mL (3) 1 to 600 µg/mL

RECOVERIES:

(1) 0.90 @ 2 µg/mL blood; (2) 0.98 @ 0.05 mg/mL blood; (3) 0.93 @ 2 µg/mL blood

PRECISION (Sr):

(1) 0.095 (1 µg/mL blood); (2) 0.056 (0.1 mg/mL blood); (3) 0.098 (1 µg/mL blood)

APPLICABILITY: MEK and toluene are commonly found in trace amounts in humans working in the paint spray industry. Occasionally, traces of ethanol are also present. This method can be used in screening workers exposed to these central nervous system depressants. INTERFERENCES: Ethanol concentrations in excess of the stated range may interfere with the MEK peaks at low concentration (< 0.2 µg MEK/mL blood). Ethanol in excess of the stated range also increases blood toluene concentration [1]. When substances other than the analytes are suspected to be present in the blood, record their identities to determine possible interferences [2].

OTHER METHODS: None are known that can determine these constituents simultaneously. Other methods require extraction or distillation for concentration of trace amounts of these chemicals in blood.

NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM), Fourth Edition, 8/15/94