[Excretion of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in urine of workers exposed to trichloroethylene].

The excretion pattern of TCA in urine of workers exposed to trichloroethylene and the correlation between concentration of TCA in urine and uptake amount of trichloroethylene were investigated by applying Head Space Gas Chromatography. We examined 33 unexposed subjects (control group) and 48 workers (exposure group). The results showed that the concentration of TCA in urine rose obviously after exposure to trichloroethylene. The concentration of TCA in urine and trichloroethylene exposure was positively correlated (X = 2.916Y + 4.619, r = 0.956 8). Based on the observation of 6 volunteers, we found that the concentration of TCA in urine reached its peak about 48 hours after exposure has ceased. It then slowly declined and did not recover completely up to 96 hours.