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pubmed:abstractText |
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and fully validated, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidance, for the simultaneous determination of phenylmercapturic acid, benzylmercapturic acid and o-methylbenzyl mercapturic acid in human urine as biomarkers of exposure to benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX). After solid phase extraction and LC separation, samples were analyzed by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in negative ion mode, using isotope-labeled analogs as internal standards (ISs). The method meets all the validation criteria required. The limits of detection of the three analytes, ranging from 0.30 to 0.40microgl(-1), and the high throughput make the method suitable for the routine biological monitoring of co-exposure to BTX both in the occupational and environmental settings. The validated method was applied to assess exposure to BTX in a group of 354 urban traffic wardens.
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pubmed:affiliation |
Occupational Medicine Unit, University of Bologna, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, via Palagi 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. l.sabatini@unibo.it
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