Exposure assessment using tracer chemicals - Stage 1

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Background and Relevance

This project determined it was feasible to directly measure water ingestion by spiking the water with a non-toxic chemical (cyanuric acid) and measuring the amount of the chemical subsequently excreted in urine. Cyanuric acid is widely used in outdoor swimming pools to stabilise chlorine by protecting it from UV degradation.

When ingested, this compound is not metabolised but is excreted in the urine within 24 hours. Measurement of cyanuric acid in urine has been successfully used to estimate water ingestion during swimming. Stage 1 of the project established a suitably sensitive analytical method for cyanuric acid detection.