Développement et validation d’une méthode d’analyse pour évaluer l’exposition professionnelle au résorcinol

Background: Resorcinol is a molecule widely used in industry which is under scrutiny for its adverse effects on the thyroid function. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a sensitive, selective and robust method for quantifying resorcinol in urine to assess occupational exposure among hairdressers.
Material and methods: First, an enzymatic hydrolysis of the urine samples was carried out with â-glucuronidase-arylsulfatase, as the largest part of resorcinol is present in urine under a glucuronide or sulfate form. The second stage consisted in supported-liquid extraction, after which a derivatization step was performed thanks to dansyl chloride to improve signal and signal-to-noise ratio. Analysis was achieved using high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, in positive ESI mode. This method was then applied on urinary samples from 37 women working as hairdressers, and from 17 female office workers as controls.
Results: The analytical method cleared all the performance tests of the validation process. This method achieved a limit of quantification of 0.3 µg/L, which was low enough to quantify resorcinol in all tested samples. Urinary resorcinol concentrations in workers’ urines were in line with those reported in the literature.
Conclusion: This method of analysis enables accurate and suitable assessment of occupational and can be more broadly applied in the ongoing project on female hairdressers’ exposure to resorcinol.