Biomaterial Database

Exposure to methyl tertiary-butyl ether from oxygenated gasoline in Stamford, Connecticut. 1995

M C White, and C A Johnson, and D L Ashley, and T M Buchta, and D J Pelletier

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

In 1993, state health officials in Connecticut invited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist in an investigation of exposure to methyl tertiary-butyl ether in oxygenated gasoline in Stamford, Connecticut. Venous blood samples were collected from 14 commuters and from 30 other persons who worked in the vicinity of traffic or automobiles, and the samples were analyzed for methyl tertiary-butyl ether, tertiary-butyl alcohol, benzene, m-/p-xylene, o-xylene, and toluene. The highest levels of methyl tertiary-butyl ether in blood were measured among gasoline service station attendants (median = 15 micrograms/l, range = 7.6-28.9 micrograms/l). Blood levels of methyl tertiary-butyl ether were highly variable among persons who worked in car-repair shops (median = 1.73 micrograms/l, range = 0.17-36.7 micrograms/l) and were generally lowest among commuters (median = 0.11 micrograms/l, range = < 0.05-2.60 micrograms/l). Blood levels of methyl tertiary-butyl ether were correlated strongly with personal-breathing-zone samples of methyl tertiary-butyl ether and blood levels of other volatile organic compounds. This exposure information should prove useful to a future risk analysis of this high-volume chemical.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008738	Methyl Ethers	A group of compounds that contain the general formula R-OCH3.	Ethers, Methyl
D009790	Occupations	Crafts, trades, professions, or other means of earning a living.	Vocations,Occupation,Vocation
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003237	Connecticut	State bounded on the north by Massachusetts, on the east by Rhode Island, on the south by Long Island Sound, and on the west by New York.
D003627	Data Interpretation, Statistical	Application of statistical procedures to analyze specific observed or assumed facts from a particular study.	Data Analysis, Statistical,Data Interpretations, Statistical,Interpretation, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analysis,Statistical Data Interpretation,Analyses, Statistical Data,Analysis, Statistical Data,Data Analyses, Statistical,Interpretations, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analyses,Statistical Data Interpretations
D004781	Environmental Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals.	Exposure, Environmental,Environmental Exposures,Exposures, Environmental
D004987	Ethers	Organic compounds having two alkyl or aryl groups bonded to an oxygen atom, as in the formula R1–O–R2.
D005260	Female		Females
D005742	Gasoline	Volative flammable fuel (liquid hydrocarbons) derived from crude petroleum by processes such as distillation reforming, polymerization, etc.	Diesel Fuel,Diesel Fuels,Fuel, Diesel,Fuels, Diesel,Gasolines