DGUV-Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung
Occupational exposure limits (OELs) for metals most often refer to the total content of a metal in a certain airway penetrating particle fraction in workplace air. Since incorporation and adverse effects do not only depend on penetration depth and content of a metal, but significantly on bonding form, speciation is a contentious issue in occupational health and safety regulations. Organotin compounds (OTC) are widely regulated for their proven human- and ecotoxicity. Due to their excellent physicochemical properties, they still rank among the most used organometallic-compounds in various industrial sectors. At workplaces (e.g. plastics manufacturing), OTCs can be released as particles, vapors or mixed phases and be incorporated by inhalation or skin contact. In Germany, occupational exposure limits (OELs) are specified for 23 OTCs in the Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances (TRGS). Compound specific analytical methods for monitoring workplace air exposure to multiple OTCs currently do not exist. In other fields, for example environmental and product analysis, gas- (GC) and liquid chromatography (HPLC) applications can be found for various matrices. While GC methods following derivatisation offer a higher peak resolution of more compounds, HPLC methods excel due to minimal sample preparation. The coupling to mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) stands out due to its particularly high sensitivity. This work presents the development of a method for the determination of eleven regulated OTCs in workplace air via reversed-phase HPLC-ICP-MS. The influence of varying α-tropolone concentrations as an on-comlumn complexation agent. The method allows the separation of Monomethyltin (MMT), Monobutyltin (MBT), Monooctyltin (MOT), Monophenyltin (MPhT), Dimethyltin (DMT), Dibutyltin (DBT), Diphenyltin (DPhT), Trimethyltin (TMT), Tributyltin (TBT), Triphenyltin (TPhT) and Tetramethyltin (TTMT) within 22 minutes. The suitability of the method was successfully tested in initial comparative measurements on workplace air samples.
Abstract
Erwerben Sie einen Zugang, um dieses Dokument anzusehen.
Poster
Erwerben Sie einen Zugang, um dieses Dokument anzusehen.
© 2025