Biological monitoring of occupational exposure to 1-methoxy-2-propanol.

At the end of a workweek 23 silkscreen printers gave a urine sample for capillary gas chromatographic analysis for 1,2-propanediol. The mean concentration was 2.52 (S.D. 2.01) mmol mol creatinine(-1) (median=1.76, n=23). The urinary excretion of 1,2-propanediol was linearly dependent on the preceding 1-methoxy-2-propanol exposure measured in the worker's breathing zone [y=0.99+0.28x, n=23, r=0.67, where y is the urinary 1,2-propanediol concentration, in mmol mol creatinine(-1) and x is the concentration, in cm3 m(-3), of 1-methoxy-2-propanol (90.2%), 1-ethoxy-2-propyl acetate (5.8%), 1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate (2.1%) and 1-ethoxy-2-propanol (1.9%) in the air].