Development of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometric technique for the biological control of volatile industrial pollutants

Introduction. General industrial pollutants, which includes volatile industrial pollutants (VIP) allyl chloride, butyl chloride, chloroacetonitrile, pentachloroethane, hexachloroethane, trans-1,4-dichloro-2-butene, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, 2-nitropropane, nitrobenzene , diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran and carbon disulfide are widely used in the domestic chemical industry, but effective methods for the quantitative determination of their biomarkers in the biological media of chemical production workers have not yet been developed.

The purpose of the study is to develop a highly sensitive gas chromatographic technique for the determination of compounds of the VIP group in whole blood and urine for their biological control, and its testing using modeling of intoxication in laboratory animals.

Material and methods. Experimental modeling of intoxication was carried out with subcutaneous (s/c) injection of toxicants to male chinchilla rabbits. Determination of biomarkers of toxicants was performed using a gas chromatograph with a single quadrupole mass analyzer (GC-MS) with preliminary extraction of components from the vapor phase above the sample by solid-phase microextraction.

Results. A method for the determination of allyl chloride, butyl chloride, chloroacetonitrile, pentachloroethane, hexachloroethane, trans-1,4-dichloro-2-butene, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, 2-nitropropane, nitrobenzene, diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, and carbon disulfide in blood and urine was developed and metrologically certified. The achieved limits of quantification are no more than 1 ng/ml with a detection limit of 0.2 ng/ml in blood and urine.

Limitations. Toxicokinetic parameters were experimentally determined on one animal species; allometric scaling was used for extrapolation to humans.

Conclusion. Analysis of the results of the assessment of the expected concentrations of VIP in blood and urine shows that biological control in the working area at the level of 0.5 MPC can be carried out for carbon disulfide, diethyl ether, butyl chloride, 1,4-dichlorobutene-2 and tetrahydrofuran in the study of blood and urine; methacrylonitrile and hexachloroethane (the lower value of the determination limit) – in the study of urine only.

The developed approaches to substantiate methods of biological control of harmful substances are a scientific and methodological platform for the introduction of biological MPC and ensuring the chemical safety of the Russian Federation.

Compliance with ethical standards. conclusion No. 2 of the local ethical committee of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Research Institute of Hygiene, Occupational Pathology and Human Ecology” FMBA of Russia dated October 5, 2018 was received.

Authors contribution:
Ukolov A.I. – performing measurements and research, writing the text of the article;
Barinov V.A. – processing of results;
Radilov A.S. – editing.
All co-authors – approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: December 17, 2023 /Accepted: July 10, 2024 / Published: August 30, 2024