Enantiomeric fraction of styrene glycol as a biomarker of occupational risk exposure to styrene.

This work reports a new analytical approach for monitoring the enantiomeric ratios of styrene glycol (SG), encountered during the manufacture of plastics, by chiral liquid chromatography and the application as a biomarker for exposure to styrene. The isomers were separated using an AGP column running in the reverse phase and isocratic mode with a mobile phase consisting of 20 mM phosphate buffer saline (pH 4.15) and methanol at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. Photometric, polarimetric, and circular dichroism detectors were employed. The chromatographic enantioselective resolution (Rs) and selectivity index (α) values were determined to be 1.60 and 1.48 (by photometric detection), respectively. Calibration curves used for the quantification of the SG enantiomers were linear with a correlation coefficient >0.99; the detection limits were in the range of 0.03-0.16 μg, depending on the detector used. Recovery assays on synthetic samples (in triplicate) covering the full range of enantiomeric fractions (0.0-1.0) show accuracy values below 5% for the enantiomeric fraction (EF) in every case. An alternative method based on the measurement of anisotropy factors for the determination of EF, which is faster and does not require the separation of enantiomers, has also been developed. The enantiomeric excess of the toxicant biomarker styrene glycol has been determined. No previous direct enantioselective determination of styrene glycol was published.