Ethylene oxide: Metabolism in human blood and its implication to biological monitoring

Ethylene oxide is an important industrial chemical, used for the production of shampoos and detergents and for the sterilisation of heat-sensitive materials. In addition, ethylene oxide is an air pollutant emitted by various sources like exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke and is metabolically produced from its precursor ethylene by mammalians. The carcinogenic potency of ethylene oxide has clearly been proven in animal studies. Therefore, a workplace exposure has to the monitored. Due to the importance of a determination of individual blood samples for biomonitoring, the metabolism of ethylene in blood and its influence on the rate of sister chromatide exchanges (SCE's) was determined.