Further examination of log P(ow)-based procedures to estimate biological occupational exposure limits

OBJECTIVES: To test the reliability of the procedures (described in a previous article) for estimation of biological occupational exposure limits (BOELs). METHODS: Data on four organic solvents (styrene, ethyl benzene, isopropyl alcohol and tetrachloroethylene) were obtained from recent publications and added to previously cited data for 10 organic solvents. Regression analysis was used for statistical evaluation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The previously reported results obtained using 10 solvents were reproduced by the analysis with 14 solvents. Repeated randomized division of the 14 sets into two subgroups of equal size followed by statistical comparisons did not show a significant difference between two regression lines. This reproducibility suggests that the procedures used to estimate BOELs may be applicable across many solvents, and this may be of particular benefit for protecting the health of workers who work with skin-penetrating solvents.