Biological monitoring of isopropyl nitrate.

Four healthy men were exposed to an isopropyl nitrate (IPN) concentration of 45.8 mg/m3 for 60 min. The IPN in the expired air, blood and urine of volunteers was analysed by gas chromatography. The longest elimination half-time of IPN by the respiratory route was 98 min. Within 6 h post-exposure 0.02% of the estimated intake was excreted in the urine. A preliminary field test of the methods was carried out during the starting and refueling of Dragen jet fighters. Urinary monitoring was found to be the most promising method for simple sampling and sensitive analyses.