The phenols in beech (Fagus sylvatica), birch (Betula pendula) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) wood dusts were compared using a mass spectrometer fitted with an electrospray ionisation interface with liquid chromatographic separation. Hardwood dust is a carcinogen, and an analysis of the polyphenol profile is a useful method for identifying the dust source in workplace air. The mass spectrometer was operated in both the negative and positive ion modes. Phenolic compounds were identified by comparing mass spectra and retention times from liquid chromatography with those for standard compounds and data in the literature. The phenol contents of the studied wood species varied considerably, and only a few common compounds were found in them.
A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the detection of extracted gallic acid in wood dust. Gallic acid is a polyphenol present in carcinogenic oak wood dust, but not in beech, ash, pine or spruce dusts, as confirmed by HPLC analyses. The method involved the extraction of gallic acid from the oak dust, followed by liquid chromatographic analysis. The correlation coefficient for the share of oak dust vs. the gallic acid concentration of wood dust was 0.995. The method was tested with oak wood dust samples collected on polycarbonate membrane filters during an 8 h workshift in a floor board factory, where the dust content of the air samples was determined gravimetrically. The oak dust and the gallic acid concentrations varied from 0.2 to 13.8 mg m-3 and from 0.03 to 3.8 micrograms m-3, respectively. These parameters were linearly correlated with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. The airborne gallic acid determination is a useful technique to confirm occupational exposure to oak wood dust, a recognized human carcinogen.
A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for biomonitoring of occupational wood dust exposure based on nasal lavage as a biomonitoring matrix was developed. Gallic acid (GA) was chosen as the indicator compound for oak dust exposure. From the chromatographic profile of ash dust, four peaks were chosen as indicator compounds. Phenolic indicator compounds were analysed by HPLC. Personal dust samples and corresponding nasal lavage samples were collected from 16 workers exposed to oak dust and six to ash dust. The dust concentrations in the workers' breathing zone varied between 0.7 and 13.8 mg m(-3). The indicators revealed the nature of the wood dust inhaled. For the workers who did not use respirators, the correlation between the dust and corresponding indicator compound in their nasal lavage was significant; r2 = 0.59 (n = 12) for oak dust and r2 = 0.58 (n = 6) for ash dust, respectively. Further, the correlation for oak dust workers who used respirators was r = 0.67 (n = 4). Nasal lavage sampling and HPLC analysis of polyphenol indicator compounds are promising tools for measuring wood dust exposure. Although further validation is necessary, determination of the individual dose may prove invaluable in prospective epidemiological studies.
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