Urinary Mercapturic Acids to Assess Exposure to Benzene and Other Volatile Organic Compounds in Coke Oven Workers

Gianfranco Frigerio, Laura Campo, Rosa Mercadante, Danuta Mielżyńska-Švach, Sofia Pavanello and Silvia Fustinoni
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Gianfranco Frigerio: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy
Laura Campo: Environmental and Industrial Toxicology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
Rosa Mercadante: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy
Danuta Mielżyńska-Švach: Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, WST University of Technology, 40-555 Katowice, Poland
Sofia Pavanello: Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, 35128 Padua, Italy
Silvia Fustinoni: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Coke production was classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Besides polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, coke oven workers may be exposed to benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The aim of this study was to assess the exposure to several VOCs in 49 coke oven workers and 49 individuals living in the same area by determining urinary mercapturic acids. Active tobacco smoking was an exclusion criterion for both groups. Mercapturic acids were investigated by a validated isotopic dilution LC-MS/MS method. Linear models were built to correct for different confounding variables. Urinary levels of N-acetyl-S-phenyl-L-cysteine (SPMA) (metabolite of benzene), N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxy-1/2-phenylethyl)-L-cysteine (PHEMA) (metabolite of styrene), N-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine (CEMA) (metabolite of acrylonitrile), N-acetyl-S-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-propen-1-yl)-L-cysteine and N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)-L-cysteine (MHBMA) (metabolites of 1,3-butadiene) were 2–10 fold higher in workers than in controls ( p < 0.05). For SPMA, in particular, median levels were 0.02 and 0.31 µg/g creatinine in workers and controls, respectively. Among workers, coke makers were more exposed to PHEMA and SPMA than foremen and engine operators. The comparison with biological limit values shows that the exposure of workers was within 20% of the limit values for all biomarkers, moreover three subjects exceeded the restrictive occupational limit value recently proposed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for SPMA.

Keywords: volatile organic compounds; mercapturic acids; coke oven workers; steel industry workers; S-phenyl mercapturic acid; human biomonitoring (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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