Simultaneous exposures to heat and chemicals and the impact on toxicokinetics and biomonitoring

If it is well known how temperature triggers physiological changes in humans, too few data exist on how those changes affects the absorption of volatile chemicals in the workplace. Many workers have been identified to be at risk of coexposure to heat and chemicals. Most physiological changes reported in literature suggest a potential increase in the absorption and a decrease in the elimination of chemicals. Current biomonitoring methods used to evaluate exposure levels do not take into account such factors and could lead to wrong estimations. Recent data have shown increased blood levels of some volatile organic compounds in the presence of heat. The impact of heat on chemical's absorption and kinetics needs to be further assessed in order to better understand the impact of heat on health risks of chemicals for workers and general population health.