Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons residues and the carcinogenic risk assessment to pregnant women in Nantong, China using QuEChERS method and HPLC—A pilot case study

Abstract

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with a modified QuEChERS extraction for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in blood serum was developed to investigate the internal exposure level and the carcinogentic toxicity contribution rate of PAHs for pregnant women in Nantong, China. Venous blood (n = 48) was collected in the local hospital and the internal exposure level of 16 PAHs and the contribution rate of carcinogenicity to pregnant women were analyzed. Among all of the detected PAHs, the detection rate of pyrene (77.08%) was the highest, followed by naphthalene (64.58%) and benzo[a]anthracene (BaA, 45.83%). The carcinogenicity contribution rate of BaA (37.37%) was the highest, followed by fluorene (32.96%) and acenaphthylene (22.01%). The results showed that many kinds of carcinogenic PAHs can be detected in the serum of pregnant women in Nantong city, among which BaA should be paid most attention because of its high internal exposure level and carcinogenic risk. Meanwhile, the origins of general PAHs in serum samples were analyzed using the characteristic ratio analysis method. The PAH pollution level of air samples (n = 42) during the collection time of blood samples was also analyzed to compare the possible correlations between the two different results.

Differential Occupational Health Risks between Methylated PAHs and PAHs: Monitoring 126 PAHs and 6 Oxidative Stress Markers in Paired Serum–Urine Samples

“…Compared to other comparable studies, the concentration of p-PAHs in our study participants was significantly higher than that observed in the general population but similar to levels observed in individuals residing or working in industrial areas (Table S6). The findings from these cohort studies have demonstrated a significant association between PAH exposure levels and various diseases, including obesity, adverse birth outcomes, and hypertension, − but the corresponding urine studies have shown that the daily intake is well below the risk value (Table S7). As pointed out in previous studies, , there may be a serious underestimation in the assessment of daily intake by OH-PAHs.…”

Co-PBK: a computational biomonitoring tool for assessing chronic internal exposure to chemicals and metabolites

“…15 Human biomonitoring enables the evaluation of chemical exposure by measuring the parent compound, its metabolites, or other exposure-related substances as biomarkers in physiological uids (e.g., blood, urine, sweat, and breast milk) and other biological bers (e.g., hair and nails). [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Compared to other biouids, urine is distinguished by its simplicity of collection, abundance of metabolites, and capacity to detect imbalances in all metabolic pathways within the body. 24,25 Thus, urinary metabolites of toxic contaminants as biomarkers are increasingly used in environmental epidemiology for assessing population-related exposure.…”

“…, hair and nails). 16–23 Compared to other biofluids, urine is distinguished by its simplicity of collection, abundance of metabolites, and capacity to detect imbalances in all metabolic pathways within the body. 24,25 Thus, urinary metabolites of toxic contaminants as biomarkers are increasingly used in environmental epidemiology for assessing population-related exposure.…”