Determination of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) in human urine in a highly occupationally exposed German cohort: New prospects for urinary biomarkers of PCB exposure.
The present study evaluates for the first time the determination of 20 hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyl (OH-PCB) congeners and their glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in urine as a biomarker of exposure to PCBs in humans. Thereby, a fast, sensitive and selective online solid phase extraction (SPE) method coupled to LC-MS/MS was validated for the determination of OH-PCBs in human urine, being previously successfully developed and applied for the separation and quantitation of OH-PCBs in human plasma. The lowest limit of quantification (LLOQ) ranged from 0.01 to 0.19ngmL-1and average extraction recoveries from 79 to 125% for all hydroxylated congeners. Within-run precision and between-run precision were between 2 and 17%. Extraction recovery tests were also performed in urine with different creatinine contents (0.52-3.92gL-1) for an estimation of matrix influences and ranged between 69 and 125%. In order to evaluate the applicability of the method, the study was conducted in three different groups, which were distinctly separated as non-exposed to known sources of PCBs (N=21), low-to-moderate PCB-exposed individuals (N=25) and highly occupationally PCB-exposed individuals (N=25), which included workers of a transformer recycling plant, their relatives and workers of surrounding companies from a German cohort. As part of the biomonitoring program HELPcB (Health Effects in High-Level Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls), urine and blood samples were collected annually from 2010 to 2014. In this way, OH-PCB elimination profile in urine over time, correlations between OH-PCB levels in human plasma and urine, and associations with their parent compounds in plasma of the studied PCB cohort could be also assessed. Tri-chlorinated OH-PCBs were the predominant congeners in urine with concentrations up to 174ngmL-1. High chlorinated OH-PCBs (penta- through hepta-chlorinated OH-PCBs) were also frequently detected in urine samples from non-exposed and occupationally exposed individuals, although levels were in general very low or lower than LLOQ.
Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.. Electronic address: nsoaresquine@ukaachen.de.
Natalia
N
Quinete
Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
André
A
Esser
Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Thomas
T
Kraus
Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Thomas
T
Schettgen
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006900:Hydroxylation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000652:urine*; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
D015415:Biomarkers; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Endocrine disruptor; Human urine; Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls; Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry; Occupational exposure; Polychlorinated biphenyl metabolism