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Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are metabolized in a complex manner. Although biological activity is associated with diol-epoxide formation, phenolic metabolites have predominantly been used in human biomonitoring. In this study monohydroxylated and new metabolites were characterized as biomarkers for occupational PAH exposure. In 97 male workers, personal exposure to 16 airborne PAH compounds was measured during shift. In postshift urine, 1-hydroxypyrene and 1,6- and 1,8-dihydroxypyrene (1-OHP, DiOHP) were determined as metabolites of pyrene (P), and the sum of 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 9-hydroxyphenanthrenes (OHPHE), and PHE-dihydrodiols (PHED) as metabolites of phenanthrene (PHE). The referent group comprised 21 nonsmoking construction workers. Median (interquartile range) shift concentrations of airborne P and PHE were 1.46 (0.62–4.05 μg/m3) and 10.9 (3.69–23.77 μg/m3), respectively. The corresponding parameters were 3.86 (2.08–7.44) μg/g creatinine (crn) for 1-OHP, 0.66 (0.17–1.65) μg/g crn for DiOHP, 11.44 (5.21–34.76) μg/g crn for OHPHE, and 12.28 (3.3–97.76) μg/g crn for PHED in PAH-exposed workers. The median levels of 1-OHP and OHPHE were 0.09 (0.08–0.17 μg/m3) and 0.59 (0.45–1.39 μg/m3), respectively, in the referents. PHE correlated significantly with OHPHE and PHED, and P with 1-OHP but not with DiOHP. Under a doubling of PHE, OHPHE increased by a factor of 1.56 and PHED by 1.57. With a doubling of P, 1-OHP rose by 1.31 and DiOHP by 1.27. P is predominantly metabolized into 1-OHP, whereas PHE is metabolized equally into OHPHE and PHED. Thus metabolites of PHE were found as reliable biomarkers for PAH exposure.
The authors thank all participating companies for providing access to the work sites and for their interest in the study. Additional thanks are due to all volunteer workers who provided blood and urine samples for biomarker analysis. This study was kindly sponsored by Hauptverband der gewerblichen Berufsgenossenschaften (HVBG), Sankt Augustin, Germany.
Notes
NIOSH. 1994. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by HPLC: Method No. 5506. In NIOSH manual of analytic methods, eds. P. M. Eller and M. E. Cassinelli, 8 pp. 4th ed. Cincinatti, OH (Publication No. 94–113).