title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure and lung function decline among coke-oven workers: A four-year follow-up study.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate quantitative relationships of urinary PAH metabolites with lung function declines among coke-oven workers.
  
  
  
  We performed a prospective investigation involving 1243 workers with follow-up periods from 2010 to 2014. Their lung function measurements, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), the percentage of predicted FVC (FVC%) and FEV1 (FEV1%), FEV1/FVC ratio, and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity (FEF25-75), were detected in both baseline (2010) and follow-up study (2014). We also detected the urinary concentrations of 12 PAH metabolites in the baseline study. The relationships between the baseline urinary PAH metabolites and 4-year lung function declines were analyzed by multivariate linear regressions, with adjustment for potential confounders.
  
  
  
  We found that the baseline concentrations of urinary 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-OHNa), 2-OHNa, 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFlu), 9-OHFlu, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OHPh), 2-OHPh, and ΣOH-PAHs were significantly associated with accelerated decline in FEV1/FVC [all β>0 and false discovery rate (FDR) P<0.05]. Additionally, the baseline levels of urinary 1-OHNa, 1-OHPh, 2-OHPh, 9-OHPh, 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), and ΣOH-PAHs were associated with significantly deeper decline in FEF25-75 (all β>0 and FDR P<0.10). When using backward selection to adjustment for 10 urinary PAH metabolites, the most significant determiner for FEV1/FVC decline was 1-OHNa among nonsmokers and 9-OHFlu among smokers, and the significant determiner for FEF25-75 decline was 9-OHPh among nonsmokers and 1-OHP among smokers.
  
  
  
  This longitudinal study revealed that higher baseline exposure levels of PAHs could lead to greater decline in lung function over a 4-year follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Suhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Yansen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Qifei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Zhuowang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Juanxiu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Industrial Health, Wuhan Iron & Steel (group) Corporation, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Wangzhen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Meian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Tangchun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Ministry of Education Key Lab for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address: ghuan5011@hust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000652:urine*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
keywords: Dose-response relationship; Longitudinal study; Lung function decline; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons