[Mercapturates and biologic monitoring of N,N-dimethylformamide]

N,N-dimethyformamide (DMF) is widely used in industrial processes to prepare synthetic fibres, films and leathers. The metabolic pathway of DMF in humans gives raise to several products. N-hydrowymethyl-N-methylformamide (HMMF) is the major metabolite of DMF, but appears to be N-methylformamide (NMF) on GLC analysis, because the first product decomposes to NMF when injected at 250 degrees C. In humans, an other important metabolite of DMF is the N-acetyl-S-(N- methylcarbamoyl)cysteine (AMCC) which is the mercapturic acid coming from DMF. AMCC is excreted in urine with a half-time of about 23 hours. This means that it accumulates in the body when exposures to DMF are repeated as in industrial settings. The data of the literature on the analysis of AMCC in urine both in experimental or field conditions are reported and compared with the results obtained by a physiologically "based toxicokinetic model". The findings are discussed in order to use AMCC in the biological monitoring of occupational exposures to DMF.