Abstract
Chemical exposure of assemblers handling creosote-impregnated wood and of a single worker chiselling coal tar pitch layer was assessed by measuring airborne naphthalene and various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and by measurement of urinary excretion of 1-naphthol and 1-pyrenol. The sum concentration of PAHs and of 4–6 aromatic ring-containing PAHs were high, 440 μg/m3 and 290 μg/m3, respectively, when chiselling. In the assembler's workplace, the PAH concentrations were about 1/50 of this value. Regarding airborne naphthalene concentrations the situation was reversed (assemblers, 1000 μg/m3; chiseller, 160 μg/m3). Correspondingly, the assemblers' urinary 1-napthol concentrations were 15–20 times higher than those of the chiseller. The urinary 1-pyrenol concentration of the chiseller was 2–4 times higher than among the assemblers. As the estimated pyrene inhalation doses among the assemblers could account for only about 2%–25% of the 24-h pyrenol excretion in urine, the skin was presumably the main route of uptake. For an assessment of the exposure to PAHs, air measurements, monitoring of metabolites in urine and preferably also data on the composition of the skin-contaminating product are needed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Bakke J, Struble C, Gustafsson JÅ, Gustafsson B (1985) Catabolism of premercapturic acid pathway metabolites of naphthalene to naphthols and methylthio-containing metabolites in rats. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 82: 668–671
Bieniek GR (1994) The presence of 1-naphthol in the urine of industrial workers exposed to naphthalene. Occup Environ Med 51: 357–359
Björseth A, Björseth O, Fjelstadt PE (1978a) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the work environment. I. Determination in an aluminium reduction plant. Scand J Work Environ Health 4: 212–223
Björseth A, Björseth O, Fjelstadt PE (1978b) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the work environment. II. Determination in a coke plant. Scand J Work Environ Health 4: 224–236
Boogaard PJ, Van Sittert NL (1994) Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petrochemical industries by measurement of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene. Occup Environ Med 51: 250–258
Buchet JP, Gennart JP, Mercado-Calderon F, Delavignette JP, Cupers L, Lauwerys R (1992) Evaluation of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a coke production and a graphite electrode manufacturing plant: assessment of urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene as a biological indicator of exposure. Br J Ind Med 49: 761–768
Burgaz S, Borm PJ, Jongeneelen FJ (1992) Evaluation of urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene and thioethers in workers exposed to bitumen fumes. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 63: 397–401
Dankovic DA, Wright CW, Zangar RC, Springer DL (1989) Complex mixture effects on the dermal absorption of benzo[a]pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from mouse skin. J Appl Toxicol 9: 239–244
Gardiner K, Hale KA, Calvert IA, Rice C, Harrington JM (1992) The suitability of the urinary metabolite 1-hydroxypyrene as an index of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon bioavailability from workers exposed to carbon black. Ann Occup Hyg 36: 681–688
Gerde P, Medinsky MA, Bond JA (1991) The retention of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the bronchial airways and the alveolar region — a theoretical comparison. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 107: 239–252
Grimmer G, Pott F (1983) Occurrence of PAH. In: Grimmer G (ed) Environmental carcinogens. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fl
Grimmer G, Dettbarn G, Jacobs J (1993) Biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in highly exposed coke plant workers by measurement of urinary phenanthrene and pyrene metabolites (phenols and dihydrodiols). Int Arch Occup Environ Health 65: 189–199
Hansen AM, Omland Ö, Poulsen OM, Sherson D, Sigsgaard T, Christensen JM, Overgaard E (1994) Correlation between work process-related exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and urinary levels of alpha-naphthol, beta-naphthylamine and 1-hydroxypyrene in iron foundry workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 65: 385–394
Heikkilä P, Hämeilä M, Pyy L, Raunu P (1987) Exposure to creosote in the impregnation and handling of impregnated wood. Scand J Work Environ Health 13: 431–437
IARC (1984) Polynuclear aromatic compounds. Industrial exposure in aluminium production, coal gasification, coke production and iron steel founding. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon (Monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans, part 3, vol 34)
Jacob J, Brune H, Gettbarn G, Grimmer G, Heinrich U, Mohtashamipur E, Norpoth K, Pott F, Wenzel-Hartung R (1989) Urinary and faecal excretion of pyrene and hydroxypyrene by rats after oral, intraperitoneal, intratracheal or intrapulmonary application. Cancer Lett 46: 15–20
Jongeneelen FJ, Anzion RBM, Henderson PT (1987) Determination of hydroxylated metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine. J Chromatogr 413: 227–232 Jongeneelen FJ, Anzion RBM, Scheepers PTJ, Bos RP, Henderson PT,
Nijenhuis EH, Veenstra SJ, Brouns RME, Winkes A (1988) 1-Hydroxypyrene in urine as a biological indicator of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in several work environments. Ann Occup Hyg 32: 35–43
Jongeneelen FJ, Anzion RBM, Theuws JLG, Bos RP (1989) Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene levels in workers handling petroleum coke. J Toxicol Environ Health 26: 133–136
Jongeneelen FJ, van Leeuwen FE, Oosterink S, Anzion RBM, van der Loop F, Bos RP, van Veen HG (1990) Ambient and biological monitoring of coke oven workers: determinants of the internal dose of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Br J Ind Med 47: 454–461
Keimig SD, Morgan DP (1986) Urinary 1-naphthol as a biological indicator of naphthalene exposure. Appl Ind Hyg 1: 61–65
Mussalo-Rauhamaa H (1991) Residues of certain chlorinated and aromatic compounds in Finnish population groups. Academic dissertation. Commentations Physico-Mathematicae et Chemico-Medicae 131. Helsinki
NIOSH (1983) Petroleum refinery worker's exposure to PAHs at fluid catalytic cracker, coker, and asphalt processing units. DHHS NIOSH Publ. No. 83–111
Ny ET, Heederick D, Kromhout H, Jongeneelen F (1993) The relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air and in urine of workers in a Söderberg potroom. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 54: 277–284
Östman C, Nilsson U, Carlsson H, Anderson I-M, Fahlgren L (1991) Polycycliska aromatista foreningar i arbetsmiljö (in Swedish). Undersökningsrapport 21. Arbetsmiljöinstitutet, Stockholm
Överbo S, Haugen A, Fjelstad PE, Hemminki K, Szyfter K (1994) Biological monitoring of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in an electrode paste plant. J Occup Med 36: 303–310
Purdham JT, Bozek PR, Sass-Kortsak A (1993) The evaluation of exposure of printing trade employees to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Ann Occup Hyg 37: 35–44
Ritschel WA (1982) Handbook of basic pharmacokinetics, 2nd edn. Hamilton Press, Hamilton, Ill.
Tolos WP, Shaw PB, Lowry LK, MacKenzie BA, Deng JF, Markel HL (1990) 1-pyrenol: a biomarker for occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 5: 303–309
Van Rooij JGM, Bodelier-Bade MM, Jongeneelen FJ (1993a) Estimation of the individual dermal and respiratory uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of 12 coke oven workers. Br J Ind Med 50: 623–632
Van Rooij JGM, van Lieshout EMA, Bodelier-Bade MM, Jongeneelen FJ (1993b) Effect of the reduction of skin contamination on the internal dose of creosote workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrcarbons. Scand J Work Environ Health 19: 200–207
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heikkilä, P., Luotamo, M., Pyy, L. et al. Urinary 1-naphthol and 1-pyrenol as indicators of exposure to coal tar products. Int. Arch Occup Environ Heath 67, 211–217 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00626355
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00626355