Simultaneous determination of urinary hydroxylated metabolites of naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene as multiple biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-006-0628-6
• Publication Date: 2006-08-15T09:18:28Z
• Authors: Thaneeya Chetiyan...; Akira Toriba; Takayuki Kameda; Ning Tang; Kazuichi Hayakawa
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Naphthalenes; Sensitivity and Specificity; 01 natural sciences; Fluorescence; Surveys and Questionnaires; 11. Sustainability; Humans; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences; Fluorenes; Pyrenes; Molecular Structure; Reproducibility of Results; Environmental Exposure; Middle Aged; Phenanthrenes; Thailand; 6. Clean water; Calibration; Biomarkers; Environmental Monitoring

A method is presented for determining monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OHPAHs) having 2-, 3- and 4-rings in human urine by using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. A urine sample containing conjugates of OHPAHs was hydrolysed in the presence of beta-glucuronidase/aryl sulfatase and the solution was cleaned up with a solid-phase extraction (C(18) and silica). Eight OHPAHs, namely 1- and 2-hydroxynaphthalenes, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 2-, 3- and 4-hydroxyphenanthrenes, 3-hydroxyfluoranthene and 1-hydroxypyrene, were separated and 1- and 9-hydroxyphenanthrenes co-eluted on an alkylamide-type reversed-phase column with fluorimetric detection. The urinary concentrations of OHPAHs were quantified by using deuterated 1-hydoxypyrene as an internal standard. The method showed good repeatability for inter- and intra-day precisions as well as good linearity of calibration curves (r (2) ranged from 0.996 to 0.999). The limits of detection (S/N=3) were in the range from 2.3 fmol to 2.2 pmol per injection. This method was successfully applied to urine samples from non-smoking taxi drivers, traffic policemen and rural villagers of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The results showed higher urinary concentrations of OHPAHs in rural villagers, consistent with higher respiratory exposure to PAHs.