Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations in coke oven workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Toxicology
• Biomarker Research

Background:

• Coke oven emissions contain harmful substances like benzene soluble fraction (BSF).
• Assessing individual exposure to airborne toxins is crucial for worker health.
• Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) is a known biomarker for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between occupational exposure to BSF and urinary 1-OHP levels in Taiwanese coke oven workers.
• To validate 1-OHP as a biomarker for individual BSF exposure in this occupational setting.

Main Methods:

• Individual air monitoring for BSF in the breathing zone of 80 coke oven workers and 50 referents over three days.
• Categorization of coke oven workers into high, medium, and low exposure groups based on work location and duration.
• Urine sample collection before and after shifts to measure changes in 1-OHP concentrations.

Main Results:

• A strong positive correlation was found between individual BSF exposure and the change in urinary 1-OHP across shifts (r = 0.74, p < 0.001).
• Higher BSF exposure levels were significantly associated with increased post-shift 1-OHP concentrations.
• A 10-fold increase in average BSF exposure corresponded to a 2.5-fold increase in post-shift 1-OHP.

Conclusions:

• Urinary 1-OHP is a reliable biomarker for assessing individual occupational exposure to BSF among coke oven workers.
• Alcohol consumption may influence the toxicokinetics of BSF, warranting further investigation in occupational health studies.