Biological monitoring for workers exposed to 4,4'-methylenebis(2-chloroaniline)

Absorption of 4,4'-methylenebis (2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) was assessed for five workers over one week in a polyurethane elastomer factory by measuring urinary MBOCA levels by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an electrochemical detector. Personal air exposure levels of MBOCA ranged from 0.2 to 8.9 micrograms/m3. The mean urinary MBOCA levels at the beginning and the end of the work shift were 3.1-81.5 and 2.4-96.6 micrograms/g creatinine, respectively. The differences between preshift and postshift urinary MBOCA values were not significant in all workers, according to the paired t-test. The urinary levels after a two-day holiday (on Monday morning) were almost equal to those of preshift levels on other weekdays. Urinary excretion of MBOCA was much higher than the estimated MBOCA levels from personal exposure measurements, suggesting that a significant amount of MBOCA is absorbed by routes other than inhalation. These results lend strong support for the need to monitor exposure control by urinary MBOCA measurement.