A method for routine analysis of urinary 4,4'-methylenebis (2-chloroaniline) by gas chromatography-electron capture detection.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a simple and cost-effective method for the determination of urinary 4,4'-methylenebis (2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) for biological monitoring of occupational exposure to MBOCA. Methods: MBOCA was prepared by liquid-liquid extraction after alkaline hydrolysis, derivatized with N-methyl-bis (trifluoroacetamide) and then analyzed using GC-ECD. The proposed method was validated in accordance with the US Food and Drug Administration guidance. Results: The calibration curve showed linearity in the range 1-100 mu g//, with a correlation coefficient of >0.999. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.3 mu g// and 1 mu g//, respectively. The recovery was 94-99%. Intraday accuracy, expressed as the deviation from the nominal value, was 90.5-100.3%, and intraday precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation, was 0.3-2.4%. Interday accuracy and precision were 87.8-100.2% and 0.3-4.1%, respectively. Conclusions: The proposed method is a simple and cost-effective method suitable for routine analyses and could be useful for biological monitoring of occupational exposure to MBOCA.