α-fluoro-β-alanine in urine of workers occupationally exposed to 5-fluorouracil in a 5-fluorouracil-producing factory

Because of possible harmful health effects increased attention is being paid to the occupational exposure to cytostatic drugs of workers in hospitals and industry. In this study a biomarker for exposure to 5-fluorouracil (5FU) based on GC-MSMS was applied to study the occupational exposure of four workers in a pharmaceutical factory producing 5FU. The four workers all excreted alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine (FBAL), a metabolite of 5FU, via the urine (range excretion rates: 0-88.9 mu g per 8h). This is in accordance with the presence of 5FU and/or its precursor ethoxyfluorouracil (EFU) in stationary and personal air samples as well as in wipe samples taken from the floor at the workplace.