Lack of blood formate accumulation in humans following exposure to methanol vapor at the current permissible exposure limit of 200 ppm.

Abstract

Accumulation of formate, the putative toxic metabolite of methanol, in the blood and the relationship between pulmonary intake and blood methanol concentration were investigated in six human volunteers following a 6-hr exposure to 200 ppm methanol (the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration 8-hr time-weighted average permissible exposure limit). At the end of a 6-hr exposure to 200 ppm methanol at rest, the blood methanol concentration was increased from a mean of 1.8 micrograms/mL to 7.0 micrograms/mL. Under light exercise, the total amount of methanol inhaled during the 6-hr exposure period was 1.8 times that inhaled at rest. However, no statistically significant increase in blood methanol concentration was observed under exercise: the concentrations averaged 8.1 micrograms/mL. Formate did not accumulate in the blood above its background level following the 6-hr exposures to 200 ppm methanol whether subjects were exposed at rest or during exercise. Unlike the data collected from epidemiologic studies, the authors' results were obtained under well-controlled methanol exposure conditions and by using appropriate dietary restrictions. The data show that (1) the biological load of methanol would be the same regardless of whether workers are engaged in light physical activity when they are exposed to methanol vapors below 200 ppm and (2) the formate that is associated with acute methanol toxicities in humans does not accumulate in blood when methanol exposure concentrations are below 200 ppm.