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Aromatic and polycyclic hydrocarbons in air and their urinary metabolites in coke plant workers
Author(s) -
Bieniek Grażyna
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199811)34:5<445::aid-ajim5>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - naphthalene , benzene , toluene , environmental chemistry , xylene , coke , urine , chromatography , formaldehyde , gas chromatography , metabolite , chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry
This study describes the exposure of coke plant workers to hydrocarbons. Aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the breathing zone air and their oxygenated metabolites in the urine of coke plant workers are qualitatively and quantitatively determined. Concentrations of benzene, toluene, naphthalene, m + p ‐xylene, o ‐xylene and 14 different PAHs were measured at the different workplaces by personal air sampling. O ‐cresol, 1‐ and 2‐naphthol, methylhippuric acid, and 1‐hydroxypyrene were determined in hydrolyzed urine of workers collected after the work shift. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method was applied to identify AHs in air and in urine samples. Time‐weighted values of exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons at a coke plant were: benzene (0.06–9.82 mg/m 3 ), toluene (0.05–4.71 mg/m 3 ), naphthalene (0.01–3.28 mg/m 3 ), o ‐xylene (0.01–1.76 mg/m 3 ) and m + p‐xylene (0.01–2.62 mg/m 3 ). At the coke batteries, the total concentration of PAHs ranged from 7.27 to 21.92 μg/m 3 . At the sorting department, the total concentration of PAHs were about half this value. Concentration of the urinary metabolites (naphthols and methylhippuric acid) detected in workers at the tar distillation department are three times higher than those for the coke batteries and sorting department workers. A correlation between inhaled toluene, naphthalene, xylene, and urinary excretion of metabolites has been found. Time‐weighted average concentrations of AHs in the breathing zone air show that exposure levels of the workers are rather low in comparison to exposure limits. The 1‐hydroxypyrene concentration is below 24.75 μmol/mol creatinine. The GC/MS analysis reveals the presence of AHs, mainly benzene and naphthalene homologues. It has been found that coke plant workers are simultaneously exposed to the mixture of aromatic and polycyclic hydrocarbons present in the breathing zone air of a coke plant. Exposure levels are significantly influenced by job categories. Compounds identified in the urine appear to be the products of the hydroxylation of AHs present in the air as well as unmetabolized hydrocarbons. Am. J. Ind. Med. 34:445–454, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.