Presence of phenol in urine in workers with professional exposure: Possibility of analytic confirmation

Abstract

Objective. Due to the increasing use of phenol in various industries, there is an increased need for toxicological analyses in the region of Central Serbia. Toxicological measurements are implemented as a preventive measure to avoid occupational diseases, which is the primary goal of all occupational medicine institutions. The aims of this study were to demonstrate the significance of continuous biological monitoring of workers exposed to benzene, phenol, and phenolic resins, as well as the rapid and easy detection of phenol in urine by a semi-quantitative method. Methods. The study was designed as an analytical, observational, retrospective cross-sectional study. It was based on a toxicological analysis of phenol concentration in workers' urine and the processing of documented results from the records of regular systematic check-ups at the Institute for Occupational Health Kragujevac between January 2018 and December 2022. Results. The values of phenol in the urine of 61 patients were processed through statistical data analysis of patient records, of which 58 were male (95%), and three were female (5%). The obtained results show that there is no correlation between sex, age, and time of exposure with the concentration of phenol in the workers' urine (r>0.05). Conclusion. Biological monitoring of workers exposed to phenol and its derivatives is important from the perspective of professional toxicology. Exposure time, individual patient characteristics, and age are some of the factors that need to be taken into account when interpreting and issuing results. Semi-quantitative method for determining phenol concentration in urine has been shown to be fast, easy, and reliable. Due to the increasing need for phenol analysis, it is necessary to perform one of the more modern chromatographic methods for final confirmation of concentrations.