Biological monitoring of human exposure to coal tar. Urinary excretion of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 1-hydroxypyrene and mutagens in psoriatic patients

• Published in: International archives of occupational and environmental health 1989-01, Vol.61 (6), p.363-368
• Main Authors: CLONFERO, E, ZORDAN, M, VENIER, P, PALEOLOGO, M, LEVIS, A. G, COTTICA, D, POZZOLI, L, JONGENEELEN, F. J, BOS, R. P, ANZION, R. B. M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Coal Tar - metabolism; Coal Tar - therapeutic use; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Monitoring, Physiologic - methods; Mutagenicity Tests - methods; Mutagens - urine; Polycyclic Compounds - urine; Psoriasis - therapy; Psoriasis - urine; Pyrenes - urine; Toxicology; Various organic compounds
• ISSN: 0340-0131; 1432-1246
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00381025

Three methods for the biological monitoring of human exposure to coal tar were compared. Levels of 1-hydroxypyrene(1-OH PYR), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and mutagens (Ames plate incorporation assay using Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 in the presence of S9 and beta-glucuronidase) were determined in urinary samples from psoriatic patients undergoing topical treatment with mineral coal tar. A single sample of urine with a high content of PAH was diluted with urine of nonexposed, non-smoking subjects in order to obtain nine samples with a decreasing content of PAh metabolites. Mutagenicity of the extracts was detectable down to the dilution corresponding to a content in 1-OH PYR of about 50 micrograms/g creatinine and total PAH of 7 micrograms/g creatinine. In a second phase the three indicators of exposure to PAH were compared in 16 urinary samples from four psoriatic patients. The total PAH levels determined by the acidic deconjugation/reduction method were confirmed to be nearly always lower than the corresponding levels of 1-OH PYR alone. Most of the extracts were mutagenic, however, some of the samples with a high content in PAh metabolites were not mutagenic. In all the urinary samples analyzed the excretion of 1-OH PYR was markedly greater than in control subjects. 1-OH PYR and urinary mutagenicity levels were well correlated. The present data suggest that both the determination of mutagenicity and 1-OH PYR in urine may be used to monitor occupational exposure to PAH, the latter method being cheaper and of greater specificity and sensitivity.