Using urinary biomarkers to evaluate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in 126 preschool children in Ohio

Limited data exist on exposures of young children to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the United States (US). The urinary metabolite of pyrene, 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPyr), is widely used as a biomarker of total PAH exposure. Our objectives were to quantify urinary 1-OHPyr levels in 126 preschool children over a 48-h period and to examine associations between selected sociodemographic/lifestyle factors and urinary 1-OHPyr levels. Monitoring was performed at 126 homes and 16 daycares in Ohio in 2001, and questionnaires and urine samples were collected. The median urinary 1-OHPyr level was 0.33 ng/mL. In a multiple regression model, sampling season (p = 0.0001) and natural log (ln)-transformed creatinine concentration (p = 0.0006) were highly significant predictors of ln-transformed 1-OH-Pyr concentration; cooking appliance type (p = 0.096) was a marginally significant predictor of ln(1-OHPyr). These children had higher median urinary 1-OHPyr levels compared to other US children (≤ 0.15 ng/mL) in previously published studies, which suggests possible geographical differences in PAH exposure.