Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in women from Poland, Serbia and Italy – relation between PAH metabolite excretion, DNA damage, diet and genotype (the EU DIEPHY project)

Abstract

Exposure of the general population to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is ubiquitous. The aim of this study was to analyze biomarkers associated with the uptake of PAH in 428 non-smoking women from Łodz (Poland), Viterbo (Italy), Belgrade (Serbia) and from the Pančevo area, where the petrochemical complex was destroyed by the air raids in 1999. Urinary excretion of PAH metabolites was lowest in Italian women, intermediary for Serbian and highest in Polish women, who predominantly excreted hydroxy phenanthrenes as metabolites of phenanthrene. Bulky DNA adduct levels were highest in Italian and Polish women. Genotype or PAH ambient air levels could not explain the dissimilarities between the study groups with respect to biomarker patterns, which probably reflected differences in life style-associated factors.

• Biomarkers
• diet
• DNA adducts
• genotyping
• metabolism
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• polymorphism

Acknowledgements

The generous assistance of Dr Ozren Ocić at Naftna Industrija Srbije, as well as the work in purifying DNA from leucocytes by the Department of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank Wojtek Sobala at the Nofer Institute for performing statistical analyses.