Global Expansion Made Simple

DR Paul Aston of AB Biomonitoring Ltd (ABB), based at the Medicentre, says his company has developed a simple analytical service which is now extending its global reach.

ABB was formed in 2000 and since its inception, has occupied just 60m2 of laboratory space.

In some respects the laboratory is unusual and atypical in that it is furnished with only the very basic scientific equipment. There is no sophisticated analytical apparatus for carrying out complicated physicochemical analyses because the raison d’etre of ABB is to devise and develop simple, user-friendly tests which are readily transferable to other laboratories and which may be potentially applied in field test scenarios.

Biological Monitoring

The core interest of ABB is in the area of biological monitoring. This discipline centres on the quantification of biomarkers, present in human fluids, as at measure of the exposure of an individual to potentially hazardous, or toxic chemicals.

Traditional approaches to biological monitoring use sophisticated technologies based on gas chromatography – mass spectrometry and high performance liquid chromatography. While offering high standards of analytical performance, invariably these methodologies are technically demanding, expensive and protracted.

Moreover, methods dependent on the unique skills of the operator have proved difficult to transfer from one laboratory to another. In order to overcome these disadvantages, ABB has developed methods which are reliable, robust and cost-effective. This approach has facilitated the uptake of biological monitoring on an international scale.

Benzene Biomonitoring

Benzene is a key industrial chemical. It is a by-product of petrol-refining and a starter chemical for several economically important products. It is ubiquitous in the workplace and the environment. In terms of toxicology, benzene is a Class 1 carcinogen.

Prolonged exposure to this volatile solvent has been linked with the onset of leukaemia and aplastic anaemia. It is critical, therefore, to monitor subjects who may be occupationally exposed to benzene. The primary organ for the metabolism of benzene is the human liver.

One minor metabolite , S-pheylmercapturic acid (PMA) has been shown to be benzene-specific. Further, a linear relationship between airborne levels of benzene and the urinary concentration of PMA has been established.

The qualification of PMA in human urine is technically very challenging. However, using a specific antiserum directed towards PMA, ABB has developed a rapid and sensitive screening tool for measuring this analyte with sufficient sensitivity to detect background levels of PMA in subjects not occupationally exposed to benzene. Hazardous solvent extraction steps have been obviated and the method requires only very small volumes of undiluted urine. The immunoassay comprises a few liquid handling steps. Signal detection is effected using a simple, portable, plate spectrophotometer. In contrast to traditional methods, results are generated within a few hours of sample receipt and the method is configured to enable a large throughput of samples.

Technology Transfer

The development and availability of a novel method for the biological monitoring of benzene in a small, basic laboratory raises exciting new prospects, including:

• ABB has established, and promotes, a testing service for benzene biomonitoring. Urine samples forwarded to their Cardiff laboratory, from many countries in the world, are analysed and a results report, including interpretive data, is provided for customers. A major benefit of the rapid and efficient is the provision of results on real-time. If, for instance, there has been an incident, or accident involving a spill of benzene, results generated on the urine of operatives connected with the incident are available in a timely manner. This provides important reassurance to workers responsible for clean-up procedures of the efficacy of personal protective equipment and that health and safety is not compromised.

• The relative ease of application of the technology renders it suitable and convenient for technology transfer. The transfer becomes particularly attractive where it is unnecessary to purchase additional, expensive equipment which requires to be dedicated to one analytical procedure. Analytical performance may be evaluated by participation in an inter-laboratory quality assurance scheme. ABB’s method has been transferred successfully to laboratories in Canada, China, Czech Republic and Malaysia. Furthermore, benzene biomonitoring may be made accessible in countries where it is not permissible to export biological specimens.

• A database of occupational exposure to benzene over a cross-section of industrial processes and in a range of countries may be develop based on the same analytical method.

Future Prospects

The development of new methods, based on the analytical approach described, for a range of industrially important chemicals linked with adverse health effects offers an exciting prospect for the future and could help to revolutionise the implementation of screening programmes for occupational exposure.

This brief review illustrates how the activities of a simple, modestly proportioned and equipped laboratory may impact in a global market.

But more importantly, it demonstrates how such a facility may serve to help safeguard the health and safety of employees occupationally exposed to potentially hazardous chemicals.