Assessment of exposure to trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in the population of Zagreb, Croatia

Human exposure to trichloroethylene (TRI) and tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene, PER) through air, food and drinking water was assessed by biological monitoring. By stratified sampling 39 subjects with no known solvent exposure were selected from the residents of the city of Zagreb (the capital of the Republic of Croatia). TRI and PER were determined in blood and their metabolites trichloroethanol (TCE) and trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in plasma and urine. Drinking water samples were also taken for TRI and PER determination. TRI was present in measurable concentrations in 22 subjects (range: 0.026-0.090 micrograms/l) and PER in 31 subjects (range: 0.031-2.540 micrograms/l). TCE was not detected in any of the samples, while TCA was determined in all plasma (range: 13.54-160.42 micrograms/l) and urine samples (range: 1.64-291.76 micrograms/24h). In drinking water samples TRI and PER values were also in a very wide range: 0.69-35.90 micrograms/l and 0.36-7.80 micrograms/l, respectively. The variation of all results presented is most probably a reflection of the different environmental contamination with TRI and PER in the different city areas.