Development of Simultaneous Determination Method of Hydroxylated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urine by LC/MS/MS and Its Application to Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Exposure

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of chemicals released into the air during the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, such as gasoline and other organic substances. Some PAHs are reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass-spectrometry method has been developed for the simultaneous quantification of eight urinary OH-PAHs, including 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-OH-Nap), 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OH-Nap), 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OH-Phe), 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OH-Phe), 3-hydroxyphenanthrene (3-OH-Phe), 4-hydroxyphenanthrene (4-OH-Phe), 9-hydroxyphenanthrene (9-OH-Phe) and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-Pyr) in human urine. Deuterated 3-OH-Phe-d(9) and 1-OH-Pyr-d(9) were used for quantification of the analyte as an internal standard. Considerable amounts of PAHs are present in the workplace. PAHs exposure is reported to exist high in coke plants, aluminium work and paving work. In order to assess the potential health risks posed by exhaust gas from ships, and to obtain a better understanding of the occupational hazards connected with PAHs exposure, the concentration of OH-PAHs in urine collected from mariners has been analyzed. This method was applied to the analysis of OH-PAHs in 29 urine specimens collected from the crews on a ship. The median concentrations of urinary 1-OH-Nap, 2-OH-Nap, 1-/9-OH-Phe, 2-OH-Phe, 3-OH-Phe, 4-OH-Phe and 1-OH-Pyr were 0.36, 0.57, 0.12, 0.07, 0.14, 0.07 and 0.11 mu g/g creatinine in the crews, respectively. The developed method was applied to occupational exposure to urine in order to assess human exposure due to the working environment.