Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure in Portugal by biomonitoring

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous organic pollutants, being some of them classified as (known/possible/probable) carcinogenic. Biomonitoring the exposure of vulnerable groups, such as children, to these compounds is thus highly relevant. Yet, European studies are scarce. PAHs exposure mostly occurs by food ingestion and air pollutants inhalation. PAHs are metabolised to hydroxylated forms (OH-PAHs) and excreted via biological fluids. Urine has several advantages to assess OH-PAHs since it is cheap and not invasive. Hence, the main goal of this study was to characterise the exposure of Portuguese children to six OH-PAHs by biomonitoring. OH-PAHs were hydrolysed, extracted, preconcentrated and quantified by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The OH-PAH data were normalized by urinary creatinine levels and combined with information from questionnaires (age, gender and the distance from the place of residence to the industry) to explore possible associations. Independently of the age or gender, 1-OH-Naph + 1-OH-Ace was the most abundant metabolite followed by 1-OH-Phen, 2-OH-Flu and 1-OH-Py. Overall, female children showed similar OH-PAH levels as males. However, significantly higher 1-OH-Naph + 1-OH-Ace values were present girls. This suggest that PAHs metabolization may be influenced by gender. Also, no relation between OH-PAH levels and age or distance from the industry was perceived. More research with a larger population is needed to comprehensively characterize children exposure to PAHs.