Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites in urine of coke oven workers in Turkey and exposure assessment

Abstract Coke-oven workers are occupationally exposed to high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this study, 1-hydroxypyrene, 9-hydroxyphenantrene, and 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene levels were determined in the urine of occupationally exposed coke-oven worker as markers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The validated high-pressure liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection was performed for metabolite analysis. Average values of 1-hydroxypyrene were 1.26 µmol/mol creatinine and of 9-hydroxyphenantrene 3.68 µmol/mol creatinine in the workers group, and 0.04 and 0.06 µmol/mol creatinine in the control group. While the average value of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene was 0.007 µmol/mol creatinine in the workers group, it was below the limit of detection in the control group. All of the mean 1-hydroxypyrene values (coke-oven workers overall mean = 1.26 μmol/mol creatinine; high exposure group mean = 1.91 μmol/mol creatinine; low exposure group mean = 0.66 μmol/mol creatinine) obtained in the workers group were higher than the biological exposure index (0.5 μmol/mol creatinine) that warrants occupational exposure proposed by American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene mean levels of all coke-oven workers and the high exposure group exceeded the no observed genotoxic effect level of 1 μmol/mol creatinine.