Detection of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure from Automobile Exhaust Fumes Using Urinary 1-Hydroxypyrene Level as an Index
Suparat Wattana MSc* Supeecha Wittayalertpanya MSc*,
Affiliation : *Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrocarbon compounds which originate from incomplete
combustion. In humans, PAHs are bioactivated to reactive metabolites which can bind covalently to DNA and subsequently
initiate mutation and carcinogenesis. The measurement of PAHs exposure may be used as an index to classify a cancer risk
group. The purpose of the present study was to measure the level of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene, a metabolite of PAHs, in
subjects exposed to automobile exhaust fumes compared to non-exposed subjects. A urine sample was collected from each
individual subject after the end of a working day and quantitated for 1-hydroxypyrene and creatinine by HPLC and spectro-
photometric method, respectively. The results showed that average urinary 1-hydroxypyrene level in exposed subjects was
significantly higher than non-exposed subjects (mean + SD of 0.0035 + 0.0032 and 0.0011 + 0.0010 µmol/l, respectively;
P = 0.000). Average urinary creatinine level in exposed subjects was also significantly higher than non-exposed subjects
(mean + SD of 0.01 + 0.005 and 0.008 + 0.006 mol/l, respectively; P = 0.040). The ratio of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene/mol
creatinine level, of the exposed subjects was significantly higher than that of the non-exposed subjects (mean + SD of 0.37
+ 0.28 and 0.19 + 0.22 µmol/mol creatinine, respectively; P = 0.002).
Conclusion : Automobile exhaust fume exposed
subjects have a higher risk to be exposed to PAHs than the non-exposed subjects. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene level can be
used as an index for an exposure of PAHs which have originated from automobile exhaust fumes and other sources as well.
Keywords : Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 1-Hydroxypyrene
