Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites in urine of portuguese firefighters
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The present work estimates occupational exposure of healthy and non-smoking Portuguese
firefighters to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through the analysis of four urinary
metabolites (OH-PAHs): 1-hydroxyacenaphthene, 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 1-hydroxypyrene
(PAH biomarker of exposure), and 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (PAH biomarker of
carcinogenicity). Firemen from several Portuguese corporations were asked to provide urine
samples during the winter period (without exposition to fires; pre-fire season) and during the
summer season of 2014 after fires fighting. The selected OH-PAHs were extracted from urine
samples by solid-phase extraction and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography
with fluorescence detection. Normalization of the urinary PAH-metabolite levels was achieved
by analyzing the creatinine concentrations. 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 1-hydroxyacenaphthene
were the most abundant metabolites, followed by 1-hydroxypyrene. The metabolite 3-
hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene was not detected. Total OH-PAHs ranged from 0.02 to 4.01 μmol/mol
creatinine and between 0.55 to 8.39 μmol/mol creatinine, respectively, for non exposed and
exposed firefighters. In general, the detected concentrations of urinary PAH metabolites were
higher during the fire season than in the winter season.
