title: Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine of coke oven workers by headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a complex mixture of toxic compounds that are ubiquitous in the environment. We investigated the utility of head space-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) to measure the following surrogate PAHs in urine: naphthalene (NAP), phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR), and benzo(a)pyrene (BAP), representing classes of 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-ring compounds, respectively. We then applied the method to urine from 28 coke oven workers (median levels (microg/l) were: NAP=3.65, PHE=1.51, PYR=0.003, BAP not detected) and 22 controls (median (microg/l) NAP=0.859, PHE=0.062, PYR=0.001, BAP not detected). Urinary levels of NAP, PHE, and PYR were all associated with exposure category (controls, side- and bottom-workers, and top-workers) but not with smoking status. Strong correlations were observed between urinary levels of NAP, PHE, and PYR in coke-oven workers. Our results indicate that unmetabolized 2-, 3- and 4-ring PAHs can be measured in urine by HS-SPME. Such measurements can be used to investigate the uptake and metabolism of complex PAH mixtures in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431, USA.
authors.forename: Suramya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waidyanatha
authors.forename: Yuxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Rappaport
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003077:Coke; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000652:urine*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D003077:Coke; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons