Inhalation Exposure to Di (2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) and Urinary Metabolites in Polyvinyl Chloride Processing Workers

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the level of inhalation exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and analyze urinary metabolites concentration of 56 workers in polyvinyl chloride manufacturing. The questionnaire was conducted to collect health information, NIOSH method 5020 was applied for DEHP personal exposure assessment and liquid chromatography was used to determine metabolites concentration which were Mono (2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) and Mono (2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) in worker’s urine. The results of
exposure assessment revealed that the average concentration of DEHP at workplaces were 7.796±3.113 µg/m³. The majority group was the
machinery cleaning workers who had exposed to the average of 9.335±3.927 µg/m³. The analyses  of MEHHP and MEOHP from worker’s urine were conducted at pre-shift and post-shift. The results at pre-shift showed the average concentration of 6.905±5.142 and 7.353±4.955 µg/g-creatinine whereas at post-shift revealed the average of 9.766±7.654 and 10.120±7.624 µg/g-creatinine, respectively. The results of the statistical tests showed that the MEHHP and MEOHP of post-shift were signifcantly higher than pre-shift (p <0.05). The recommendations were that the personal air sampling must be conducted continuously and the concentration measurement of MEHHP and MEOHP in worker’s urine must be further studied in order to provide a better biomarker for DEHP exposure assessment.