ABSTRACT
Objective @#To establish a headspace-gas chromatography ( HS-GC ) method for the determination of acetone and butanone, the biomarkers of occupational exposure to isopropanol and butanone, in urine of occupational populations. @*Methods @#Urine samples at 5.0 mL were transferred to a headspace bottle, added with 2.0 g anhydrous sodium sulfate, sealed immediately, and placed in a headspace sampler-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Following heating at 60 ℃ for 30 min, 0.5 mL urine samples were injected and separated with the DB-FFAP capillary chromatographic column, and determined with the flame ionization detector. In addition, the retention time and peak area were determined. @*Results @#The peak area appeared a linear relationship with mass concentrations of acetone at 0.16-80 mg/L and butanone at 0.03-16 mg/L (correlation coefficient, 0.999 9), with detection limits of 0.009 and 0.004 mg/L, quantitation limits of 0.03 and 0.02 mg/L, respectively. The mean recovery rates of spiked samples were 93.67%-99.37% and 91.18%-94.41% for low, medium and high concentrations of acetone and butanone, and the relative standard deviations of 1.53%-3.69% and 2.54%-6.58%, respectively. @*Conclusion @#A highly sensitive and repeatable HS-GC method is successfully established for simultaneous determination of acetone and butanone in urine samples by optimizing sample pretreatment and separation, which is feasible for qualitative and quantitative analyses of acetone and butanone in urine.