Abstract
N-acetyl- S-(2-hydroxyethyl)- L-cysteine (2-hydroxyethyl mercapturic acid, HEMA) is a urinary metabolite of several hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride (VC), ethylene oxide (EO), and ethylene dibromide (EDB). Information about the levels of HEMA in the general population is useful for assessing human exposures to HEMA parent compounds, including VC, EO, and EDB. To establish reference range concentrations for HEMA, we analyzed urine samples from 412 adult participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) by using isotope-dilution high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). HEMA was detected in 71% of the samples examined. Creatinine-corrected concentrations ranged from less than 0.68 μg/g creatinine to 58.7 μg/g creatinine; the 95th percentile concentration was 11.2 μg/g creatinine; and the geometric mean and median creatinine-corrected concentrations were both 1.6 μg/g creatinine. We observed a statistically significant difference ( P=0.0001) in the creatinine-corrected geometric mean concentration values of HEMA between smokers (2.8 μg/g creatinine) and nonsmokers (1.1 μg/g creatinine). The high levels of HEMA seen among smokers likely originated from HEMA-producing chemicals known to be present in tobacco smoke.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 6 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $43.17 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
CALAFAT, A., BARR, D., PIRKLE, J. et al. Reference range concentrations of N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L -cysteine, a common metabolite of several volatile organic compounds, in the urine of adults in the United States. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 9, 336–342 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500032
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500032
This article is cited by
-
Characterization of acrylonitrile exposure in the United States based on urinary n-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-l-cysteine (2CYEMA): NHANES 2011–2016
Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (2021)
-
Simultaneous quantitation of urinary cotinine and acrylonitrile-derived mercapturic acids with ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (2012)
-
Mercapturic acids revisited as biomarkers of exposure to reactive chemicals in occupational toxicology: a minireview
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health (2005)