I traccianti chimici nella valutazione dell'esposizione professionale a polveri di teak

A new validated high performance liquid chromatographic/DAD (HPLC-DAD) method was developed to detect 2-methylanthraquinone (2-MEA), lapachol (LP) and deoxylapachol (DLP) in wood dust as chemical markers of teak wood (a suspected human carcinogen). The absence of 2-MEA, LP and DLP in other wood dust is investigated analyzing 12 various wood specimens belonging to the angiosperm family. The different content of the three markers is also determined in four types of teak wood . The method was tested on teak wood dust samples (n = 12) collected on polyvinylchloride membrane filters during various work operations in one small factory making furniture and fittings for leisure craft and boatyards (air teak wood dust concentration: range 1.50–5.20 mg m-3) The extraction of 2-MEA, DLP, LP from dust collected on the filters is carried out with methanol, followed by HPLC-DAD analysis. A high correlation coefficient for the content of 2-MEA and LP plus DLP versus teak dust was obtained (r = 0.98 and r = 0.87 respectively). It’s demonstrated that 2-MEA, DLP and LP are specific markers of teak wood and their determination is a useful technique to confirm and quantify the occupational exposure to teak wood dust.