Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds (with the exception of arsine) – Addendum: Re-evaluation of BLW and EKA
Assessment Values in Biological Material – Translation of the German version from 2023
Bernd Roßbach1Stephan Letzel1
Hans Drexler2 (Head of the working group “Assessment Values in Biological Material” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
Andrea Hartwig3 (Chair of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
MAK Commission4
1 University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Obere Zahlbacher Straße 67, 55131 Mainz, Germany
2 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Henkestraße 9–11, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
3 Institute of Applied Biosciences, Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, Building 50.41, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
4 Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Kennedyallee 40, 53175 Bonn, Germany
Abstract
The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area re-evaluated the exposure equivalents for carcinogenic substances (EKA) as well as the biological guidance value (BLW) for arsenic [7440-38-2] and inorganic arsenic compounds with the exception of arsine. Recent findings on formation and renal excretion of the arsenic metabolite dimethylarsinic acid suggest substantial alimentary influence on this parameter, which has been used as biomarker besides other metabolites. In order to increase the diagnostic reliability, EKA were derived without the use of dimethylarsinic acid as marker for internal exposure, taking into account now the metabolites arsenic(III), arsenic(V) and monomethylarsonic acid. Furthermore, the range of the EKA was extended to concentrations below 1 µg/m3. Analogous to the EKA derivation, the BLW was re-evaluated based on the renal excretion of the species arsenic(III), arsenic(V) and monomethylarsonic acid. To prevent peripheral neuropathy as the most critical systemic toxic effect besides carcinogenicity, an average concentration of 10 µg/l for the sum of arsenic(III), arsenic(V) and monomethylarsonic acid should not be exceeded in post shift urine samples.
