Addendum to Hexone (Methyl isobutyl ketone)
Assessment Values in Biological Material – Translation of the German version from 2014
Michael Nasterlack1Hans Drexler2 (Head of the working group “Assessment Values in Biological Material” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
Andrea Hartwig3 (Chair of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
MAK Commission4
1 68526 Ladenburg, Germany
2 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Schillerstraße 25 and 29, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
3 Institute of Applied Biosciences, Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, Geb. 50.41, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
4 Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Kennedyallee 40, 53175 Bonn, Germany
Abstract
The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area has re‐evaluated the BAT value (biological tolerance value) for hexone (methyl isobutyl ketone, MIBK), considering methyl isobutyl ketone in urine to characterise the internal exposure.
In a field study in 36 persons, which were exposed to a mixture of toluene, xylene and MIBK, a linear relationship between MIBK in air and MIBK in urine was obtained. For the present MAK‐value of 20 ml MIBK/m3 air a corresponding average concentration of 0.7 mg MIBK/l urine can be derived. In another field study 27 workers in the furniture industry were exposed to mixtures of solvents. The good linear correlation between the values determined in air and in urine permits an extrapolation to 20 ml/m3, which yields a corresponding concentration of 0.60 mg MIBK/l urine.
Based on these studies, a BAT value of 0.7 mg MIBK/l urine was evaluated.
Sampling is performed at the end of exposure or the end of shift.
