Biological assessment of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in six french factories

In this study the workers’exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), in six French factories, was assessed. Over 5 days of pre-and post-shift sampling, three urinary metabolites of DEHP, mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono (5-carboxy-2-ethylpentyl) phthalate (5cx-MEPP) and 2-ethylhexanoic acid (2-EHA) were quantified in 62 workers and 29 controls. High-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) after on-line extraction was performed. Median concentrations of the pre- and post-shift urinary samples in the exposed workers were 12.6 and 28.7 lg/l for MEHP, 38.6 and 84.4 lg/l for 5cx-MEPP and 20.4 and 70.6 lg/l for 2-EHA, respectively. In the controls, the corresponding values were 4.8 and 4.7 lg/l for MEHP, 15.1 and 12.4 lg/l for 5cx-MEPP and 21.8 and 20.5 lg/l for 2-EHA, respectively. A significant increase (Mann–Whitney U-test, P\0.05) of post-shift excretion in the exposed workers versus the unexposed controls and in the post-shift versus pre-shift concentrations only in the exposed workers was observed. There is an evidence of occupational exposure of workers in these factories. Values of 250 and 500 lg/l (100 and 280 l/g creatinine) for MEHP and 5cx-MEPP, respectively, are proposed as guidance values to prevent high exposures in the soft PVC industry. An epidemiological survey, with the study of the endocrine disrupter effect, are needed to complete the DEHP risk assessment.