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Biomarkers for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and serum liver enzymes
Author(s) -
Min YoungSun,
Lim HyunSul,
Kim Heon
Publication year - 2015
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/ajim.22463
Subject(s) - medicine , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon , occupational exposure , enzyme , liver enzyme , environmental chemistry , biochemistry , environmental health , chemistry
Background Limited evidence suggests that human liver toxicity is associated with exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Methods The association of urinary PAH metabolites with serum liver enzymes was tested among 288 workers at a petrochemical plant, using a general linear model (GLM) and multiple logistic regression. Results Urine 2‐naphthol levels were positively correlated with serum AST after adjustment for covariates in GLM. Comparing third tertile versus first tertile of 2‐naphthol levels, the odds ratios (OR) were elevated for abnormal serum AST levels [OR = 4.1 (95%CI 1.6–10.2)] and abnormal serum ALT levels [OR = 2.4 (95%CI 1.2–4.9)]. Conclusions Although confounding by alcohol intake was not completely ruled out, our findings demonstrate an association between PAHs exposure and elevation in serum liver enzymes. Urinary 2‐naphthol is a biomarker of exposure to PAHs that is associated with liver toxicity. Am. J. Ind. Med. 58:764–772, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.