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Glycol ethers are a class of semi-volatile substances used as solvents in a variety of consumer products like cleaning agents, paints, cosmetics as well as chemical intermediates. We determined 11 metabolites of ethylene and propylene glycol ethers in 44 urine samples of German residents (background level study) and in urine samples of individuals after exposure to glycol ethers during cleaning activities (exposure study). In the study on the background exposure, methoxyacetic acid and phenoxyacetic acid (PhAA) could be detected in each urine sample with median (95th percentile) values of 0.11 mgL(-1) (0.30 mgL(-1)) and 0.80 mgL(-1) (23.6 mgL(-1)), respectively. The other metabolites were found in a limited number of samples or in none. In the exposure study, 5-8 rooms were cleaned with a cleaner containing ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE), propylene glycol monobutyl ether (PGBE), or ethylene glycol monopropyl ether (EGPE). During cleaning the mean levels in the indoor air were 7.5 mgm(-3) (EGBE), 3.0 mgm(-3) (PGBE), and 3.3 mgm(-3) (EGPE), respectively. The related metabolite levels analysed in the urine of the residents of the rooms at the day of cleaning were 2.4 mgL(-1) for butoxyacetic acid, 0.06 mgL(-1) for 2-butoxypropionic acid, and 2.3 mgL(-1) for n-propoxyacetic acid. Overall, our study indicates that the exposure of the population to glycol ethers is generally low, with the exception of PhAA. Moreover, the results of the cleaning scenarios demonstrate that the use of indoor cleaning agents containing glycol ethers can lead to a detectable internal exposure of residents., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The human body burden of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) and the dietary intake of dl-PCB were investigated in Germany. In total, 50 adults (between 14 and 60 years old) were recruited, and duplicate diet samples were collected over seven consecutive days from each participant. Blood samples were acquired from 48 participants. Seventeen PCDD/Fs and 12 dl-PCBs (non- and mono-ortho congeners) were measured in the blood, and all dl-PCBs were measured in duplicate diet portions. Daily intake via food was calculated by multiplying the measured concentrations by the consumption data. Median (95th percentile) concentrations in the blood (expressed as WHO-TEQ) for PCDD/Fs, non-ortho PCBs and mono-ortho PCBs were 10.1 (25.0) pg g(-1) lipid, 4.2 (14.9) pg g(-1) lipid and 4.5 (14.2) pg g(-1) lipid, respectively. The contribution of mono-ortho PCBs and non-ortho PCBs to total TEQ was 25% and 24%, respectively. For each study subject, median intake levels for seven consecutive days were calculated. From these data, the median (95th percentile) daily intake via food was 0.12 (0.32) pg TEQ kg(-1)b.w. for non-ortho congeners and 0.06 (0.12) pg TEQ kg(-1)b.w. for the mono-ortho congeners. PCB 126, PCB 118 and PCB 156 accounted for about 93% of the total PCB intake. Our study indicates that dl-PCB exposure in adults consuming a normal mixed diet is quite low at present in Germany. The median and maximum daily intake contributed to 10% and 25% to the tolerable daily intake recommended for total PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were widely used in numerous industrial and commercial applications in high quantities in the past. Based on their persistence in the environment, their tendency to accumulate in the organism and their specific health effects, PCBs have to be assessed as critical substances. Because the dietary intake was assumed to be the main intake route, the Integrated Exposure Assessment Survey (INES) aimed to measure the recent exposure to PCBs in Germany. The study consisted of 10 female and 10 male participants living in Munich and surroundings. The participants collected dietary duplicates of all food consumed and prepared as for consumption over 7 consecutive days. Altogether the 6 non-dioxin-like PCB congeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180 ndl-PCB or, respectively, indicator PCB and furthermore the congener 118 were detected using a gas chromatographic method. Dietary intake was calculated using the amount of food eaten daily and the results from the duplicates. Using the sum of PCB 138, 153 and 180 multiplied by 4, the daily intake ranged from 4.0 to 24.1 ng/kg b.w. (median: 9.5 ng/kg b.w.). On the contrary, the daily intake was 2.9 to 20.6 ng/kg b.w. (median: 11.2 ng/kg b.w.) if the sum of the 6 indicator PCBs multiplied by factor 2 was used for quantification. No sex-related difference of the dietary intake was observable. Overall, it can be concluded that the dietary PCB intake has further decreased in the last years in Germany. At present, the toxicological database is not suitable to assess the risks coming solely from the non-dioxin-like PCBs because it is not possible to differentiate between non dioxin-like and dioxin-like effects in toxicological studies. Nevertheless, a further reduction of PCB exposure via food by searching for possible sources is needed.

Objectives: Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are a large group of chemicals produced for several decades and widely used for many industrial and consumer applications. Because of their global occurrence in different environmental media, their persistence, and their potential to bioaccumulate in organisms they are of toxicological and public concern., Methods: In the present study, the internal exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in 356 human plasma samples collected from an adult population in Germany in 2005 is quantified., Results: We were able to detect the target analytes in all plasma samples and observed a significant correlation between the PFOS and PFOA concentrations. In female participants, the levels of PFOS and PFOA ranged between 2.5-30.7 (median: 10.9 microg/l) and 1.5-16.2 microg/l (median: 4.8 microg/l), respectively. In males we observed concentrations from 2.1 to 55.0 microg/l (median: 13.7 microg/l) for PFOS and from 0.5 to 19.1 microg/l (median: 5.7 microg/l) for PFOA. A significant correlation between both PFOS and PFOA concentrations and gender was observed. We also found increased levels of the PFCs with increasing age of the participants, but this association reached statistical significance among females only., Conclusions: Our data agree well with results of other recent studies in Europe and suggest that the current exposure of the adult German population is lower than the exposure of the US and Canadian population. The sources of human exposure are currently not well understood. Toxicological implications are restricted to animal studies and occupational investigations not adequate for quantitative risk assessment in humans. Overall, more scientific research is necessary to characterize the body burden of PFCs (especially for relevant subsets of the population) and the main sources and routes, which are responsible for human exposure and possible health implications of these compounds.

Phthalates like di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) are commonly used as plasticizers and their metabolites are suspect of especially reproductive toxicity. The aim of our study was to assess phthalate exposure in adults by measuring urinary phthalate metabolite levels and to explore individual temporal variability. Urine samples were collected by 27 women and 23 men aged 14-60 years during 8 consecutive days. We quantified four monoesters, four oxidative DEHP metabolites, and two secondary metabolites of di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) by a LC/LC-MS/MS method. If we analyzed all 399 available samples independent of classification, the highest median values of primary metabolites in this study were found for mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP: 49.6 microg/l), followed by mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP: 44.9 microg/l), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP: 7.2 microg/l), and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP: 4.9 microg/l). The median concentrations of the oxidized metabolites of DEHP were 8.3 microg/l for mono-(2-carboxymethylhexyl) phthalate (2cx-MMHP), 19.2 microg/l for mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (5OH-MEHP), 14.7 microg/l for mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (5oxo-MEHP), and 26.2 microg/l for mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (5cx-MEPP). The concentrations of the two DiNP secondary metabolites mono (oxoisononyl) phthalate (oxo-MiNP) and mono(hydroxyisononyl) phthalate (OH-MiNP) ranged from