Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Environmental Health Perspectives logoLink to Environmental Health Perspectives
. 1977 Dec;21:239–245. doi: 10.1289/ehp.7721239

Metabolism of trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in human subjects.

M Ikeda
PMCID: PMC1475342  PMID: 612449

Abstract

A linear correlation exists between the trichloroethylene concentration in the work environments and the level of total trichloro compounds in the urine of the workers, as expressed by the equation: Gamma = 7.25=chi + 5.5, where Gamma is trichloroethylene in air (ppm) is Chi is total trichloro compounds in urine (mg/l). Trichloroethanol level is also linearly related to trichloroethylene concentration, while trichloroacetic acid level deviates from the linear relation when trichloroethylene level exceeds 50 ppm. In the case of tetrachloroethylene exposure, both trichloroethanol and trichloroacetic acid levels, and consequently the total trichloro compound level, reach a plateau at tetrachloroethylene level well below 100 ppm. The mean urinary biological half-life is 41 hr for trichloroethylene and 144 hr for tetrachloroethylene. The two values are the largest of the values so far obtained with organic solvents. The respiratory half-life is shorter than the urinary half-life, both in richloroethylene and in tetrachloroethylene. Applications of the urinalyses in clinical cases are described. In one case of trichlorethylene dependency, a longer urinary half-life of 73 hr was observed. An automated system is presented for the determination of total trichloro compounds in human urine. The system can analyze the samples at the rate of 20 samples per hour with an accuracy comparable to that of the time-consuming manual analysis.

Full text

PDF
239

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BARDODEJ Z., VYSKOCIL J. The problem of trichloroethylene in occupational medicine; trichloroethylene metabolism and its effect on the nervous system evaluated as a means of hygienic control. AMA Arch Ind Health. 1956 Jun;13(6):581–592. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BARTONICEK V. Metabolism and excretion of trichloroethylene after inhalation by human subjects. Br J Ind Med. 1962 Apr;19:134–141. doi: 10.1136/oem.19.2.134. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Byington K. H., Leibman K. C. Metabolism of trichloroethylene in liver microsomes. II. Identification of the reaction product as chloral hydrate. Mol Pharmacol. 1965 Nov;1(3):247–254. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DANIEL J. W. THE METABOLISM OF 36C1-LABELLED TRICHLOROETHYLENE AND TETRACHLOROETHYLENE IN THE RAT. Biochem Pharmacol. 1963 Aug;12:795–802. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(63)90109-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hirosawa I., Asaeda G., Arizono H., Shimbo S., Ikeda M. Effects of catechol on human subjects: a field survey. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1976 Jun 3;37(2):107–114. doi: 10.1007/BF00378057. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ikeda M., Imanura T. Biological half-life of trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in human subjects. Int Arch Arbeitsmed. 1973 Jul 10;31(3):209–224. doi: 10.1007/BF00539241. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ikeda M., Ohtsuji H. Hippuric acid, phenol, and trichloroacetic acid levels in the urine of Japanese subjects with no known exposure to organic solvents. Br J Ind Med. 1969 Apr;26(2):162–164. doi: 10.1136/oem.26.2.162. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ikeda M., Otsuji H., Imamura T., Komoike Y. Urinary excretion of total trichloro-compounds, trichloroethanol, and trichloroacetic acid as a measure of exposure to trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Br J Ind Med. 1972 Jul;29(3):328–333. doi: 10.1136/oem.29.3.328. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ikeda M., Otsuji H., Kawai H., Kuniyoshi M. Excretion kinetics of urinary metabolites in a patient addicted to richloroethylene. Br J Ind Med. 1971 Apr;28(2):203–206. doi: 10.1136/oem.28.2.203. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Imamura T., Ikeda M. A time-saving procedure for the determination of total trichloro-compounds in human urine samples. Int Arch Arbeitsmed. 1973;31(4):333–338. doi: 10.1007/BF00539036. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Imamura T., Ikeda M. Lower fiducial limit of urinary metabolite level as an index of excessive exposure to industrial chemicals. Br J Ind Med. 1973 Jul;30(3):289–292. doi: 10.1136/oem.30.3.289. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kaneko I., Miura T., Hirao T., Ikeda M. An automated method for the determination of total trichloro-compounds in human urine. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1975 Sep 19;35(3-4):193–200. doi: 10.1007/BF01837095. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ogata M., Takatsuka Y., Tomokuni K. Excretion of organic chlorine compounds in the urine of persons exposed to vapours of trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Br J Ind Med. 1971 Oct;28(4):386–391. doi: 10.1136/oem.28.4.386. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Piotrowski J. K. Evaluation of exposure to phenol: absorption of phenol vapour in the lungs and through the skin and excretion of phenol in urine. Br J Ind Med. 1971 Apr;28(2):172–178. doi: 10.1136/oem.28.2.172. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Roach S. A. A more rational basis for air sampling programs. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1966 Jan-Feb;27(1):1–12. doi: 10.1080/00028896609342786. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sagawa K., Nishitani H., Kawai H., Kuge Y., Ikeda M. Transverse lesion of spinal cord after accidental exposure to trichloroethylene. Int Arch Arbeitsmed. 1973;31(4):257–264. doi: 10.1007/BF00539030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stewart R. D., Dodd H. C., Gay H. H., Erley D. S. Experimental human exposure to trichloroethylene. Arch Environ Health. 1970 Jan;20(1):64–71. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1970.10665543. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Stewart R. D., Gay H. H., Schaffer A. W., Erley D. S., Rowe V. K. Experimental human exposure to methyl chloroform vapor. Arch Environ Health. 1969 Oct;19(4):467–472. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1969.10666870. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Tanaka S., Ikeda M. A method for determination of trichloroethanol and trichloroacetic acid in urine. Br J Ind Med. 1968 Jul;25(3):214–219. doi: 10.1136/oem.25.3.214. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. YLLNER S. Urinary metabolites of 14C-tetrachloroethylene in mice. Nature. 1961 Aug 19;191:820–820. doi: 10.1038/191820a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Environmental Health Perspectives are provided here courtesy of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

RESOURCES