Determination of 1-Naphthol in Urine by HPLC Method

Abstract

Naphthalene is a major PAH compound in air samples. The determination of 1-naphthol, a major metabolite of naphthalene, in urine was carried out by an HPLC method. Urinary 1-naphthol concentration was in the range of 0.08–0.84 and 0.11–0.57 μ mole/L for smokers and non-smokers. A higher concentration range of 0.24–3.84 μ mole/L was determined for the occupationally exposed group. Urinary 1-naphthol concentration was found to have a good correlation (r=0.954) with naphthalene in air for environmentally exposed group. A clear indication of this correlation (r=0.819) was also observed for the occupationally exposed group. A student t-test of these results showed a significant difference between the concentration of urinary 1-naphthol of the environmentally and occupationally exposed group (p=0.0181<0.05).

Key Words:

• 1-naphthol
• urine
• HPLC method