ORIGINAL PAPER
Woodsmoke marker levoglucosan: Kinetics in a self-experiment
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1
Institute of Environmental Health, ZPH, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
2
Umweltbundesamt GmbH, Vienna, Austria
3
Institute of Environmental Health, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A1090, Wien, Austria
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2012;25(2):122-5
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ABSTRACT
Objectives: Concerns on climate change are leading to the renaissance of wood burning and particulate exposures. Levoglucosan is used as a marker of woodsmoke in air and urine. Objectives: Contribution of data on urinary excretion of levoglucosan, to improve biomonitoring and source apportionment of woodsmoke. Materials and Methods: 1, 3, 5, and 7 hours after 5 mg of levoglucosan had been administered orally, urinary excretion was measured by HPLC and mass spectrometry. Results: After oral intake, urine concentrations increased rapidly, reached highest values after 3 hours, and after 7 hours approximately 70% of the administered dose was excreted. Conclusions: Urinary levoglucosan may be used for biomonitoring of woodsmoke exposure on the same day.