title: Environmental and biological monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coke plants and other workplaces.
abstract: The authors report the results obtained from environmental and biological monitoring of PAHs at different workplaces. Pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene were chosen as indicators of PAHs pollution and their concentrations were determined in the working environments. Two urinary metabolites of these hydrocarbons: 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene, were also studied. PAHs exposure was studied at the following workplaces: a coke plant, a pyrite mine, a railway tunnel and several earthenware factories. The results obtained at the coke plant showed pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene levels (area samplings) at the battery top in the range 1.42-26.57 micrograms/m3 and 0.39-12.85 micrograms/m3 respectively. At the other workplaces lower concentrations of these two compounds were recorded. In the exposed workers, the trend of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene levels was similar to the results of environmental monitoring. The geometric mean of 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations in the urine of coke plant workers was 5.76 micrograms/g creatinine, whereas in the other exposed subjects no geometric mean values higher than 0.60 microgram/g creatinine were obtained. In the case of occupational exposure to low pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene concentrations (pyrite mine, railway tunnel, earthenware factories) the urinary 1-hydroxypyrene levels were similar to those observed in respectively smoking and non-smoking referents.
authors.affiliation: Instituto di Medicina del Lavoro, Università degli Studi di Siena.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cenni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sciarra
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sartorelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pappalardo
mesh_terms: D003077:Coke; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D003077:Coke; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds