Biological monitoring of human exposure to coal tar. Urinary excretion of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 1-hydroxypyrene and mutagens in psoriatic patients.
Three methods for the biological monitoring of human exposure to coal tar were compared. Levels of 1-hydroxypyrene(1-OH PYR), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and mutagens (Ames plate incorporation assay using Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 in the presence of S9 and beta-glucuronidase) were determined in urinary samples from psoriatic patients undergoing topical treatment with mineral coal tar. A single sample of urine with a high content of PAH was diluted with urine of nonexposed, non-smoking subjects in order to obtain nine samples with a decreasing content of PAh metabolites. Mutagenicity of the extracts was detectable down to the dilution corresponding to a content in 1-OH PYR of about 50 micrograms/g creatinine and total PAH of 7 micrograms/g creatinine. In a second phase the three indicators of exposure to PAH were compared in 16 urinary samples from four psoriatic patients. The total PAH levels determined by the acidic deconjugation/reduction method were confirmed to be nearly always lower than the corresponding levels of 1-OH PYR alone. Most of the extracts were mutagenic, however, some of the samples with a high content in PAh metabolites were not mutagenic. In all the urinary samples analyzed the excretion of 1-OH PYR was markedly greater than in control subjects. 1-OH PYR and urinary mutagenicity levels were well correlated. The present data suggest that both the determination of mutagenicity and 1-OH PYR in urine may be used to monitor occupational exposure to PAH, the latter method being cheaper and of greater specificity and sensitivity.
Clonfero
E
E
Institute of Occupational Health, University of Padua, Italy.
Zordan
M
M
Venier
P
P
Paleologo
M
M
Levis
A G
AG
Cottica
D
D
Pozzoli
L
L
Jongeneelen
F J
FJ
Bos
R P
RP
Anzion
R B
RB
D003033:Coal Tar / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D009153:Mutagens / Q000652:urine*; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000652:urine*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000628:therapy / Q000652:urine*; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000652:urine*
D009153:Mutagens; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D011721:Pyrenes; D003033:Coal Tar; C033146:1-hydroxypyrene