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724599 
Technical Report 
Determination of 2,2,2-trichloroethanol in urine 
Pekari, K; Aitio, A 
1985 
NIOSH/00166924 
IARC Sci.Publ. 
68 
473-478 
A method is presented for determining 2,2,2-trichloroethanol (115208) in the urine of workers who have been exposed to trichloroethylene (79016). Approximately ten specimens can be run in the course of 1 day, with a detection limit of 0.5 micromoles/liter. Sulfuric-acid is used to hydrolyze the conjugates of trichloroethanol in urine. Trichloroethanol is extracted into iso-octane. Gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection is used to quantify the results. Caution should be taken in handling the sulfuric-acid and iso-octane. The routes of entry into the body for trichloroethylene are the lungs and the skin. The excretion of trichloroacetic-acid (76039) and trichloroethanol in the urine accounts for about 70 percent of the absorbed dose of trichloroethylene. Due to the rapid metabolism and excretion of trichloroethanol, the measurement of this substance in the urine is only suitable for determining the exposure levels during the last few working hours before sampling. Only 2 milliliters of sample are required for analysis, but for representative sampling, more than 50 milliliters of urine is recommended. The specimens may be stored at 5 degrees-C until analysis. Equipment needed, chromatographic procedure, method of calculation, and repeatability and reproducibility of the method are considered. 
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