title: Monitoring human occupational and environmental exposures to polycyclic aromatic compounds.
abstract: Many research groups have been carrying out studies to develop biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) and apply these for human biomonitoring. The main objectives of the use of biomarkers are to determine specific occupational and environmental exposures to monitor the effectiveness of exposure controls and prediction of the risk of disease. This article presents a review of the literature in the field of biomarkers of human exposure to PACs and an evaluation of the relevant biomarkers for monitoring exposure to PACs in a range of exposure situations from coke ovens to bitumen handling and environmental exposures. For this evaluation, the relationships between external PAC exposures and the corresponding biomarker levels have been studied. The literature data indicate that urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene correlates well with external PAC exposure and this compound appears to be a suitable marker for internal exposure to PACs. DNA adducts, mostly measured in white blood cells, do not show satisfactory correlations with exposure to PACs in a variety of workplace and exposure situations. It is not clear which factors are mainly responsible for this poor correlation. Micronuclei and sister chromatid exchanges measured in peripheral white blood cells are also unsatisfactory as biomarkers for PAC exposure. From the relatively limited data available, chromosome aberrations appear to show considerable promise as indicators of exposure to PACs. Because of their strong association with cancer, chromosome aberrations are considered suitable indicators of increased cancer risk arising from exposure to PACs.
authors.affiliation: Z. Jansestraat 46 II, 1097 CN, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henk C A
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Watson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000139:chemically induced*; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis / Q000379:methods; D018736:DNA Adducts / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D023421:Models, Animal; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018736:DNA Adducts; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D011721:Pyrenes; C033146:1-hydroxypyrene