Urinary 3-hydroxybenzo[A]pyrene as a biomarker of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons:: An approach for determining a biological limit value

Atmospheric and biological monitoring was carried out on 38 people exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different workplaces. The relationship between the atmospheric BaP and the 3-OHBaP urinary concentration peaks was determined. To avoid misinterpretation due to dermal exposure, only people with mainly respiratory exposure were chosen. The selection was carried out from observation of working conditions and from urinary data. For the limit value determination, BaP concentrations higher than 5,000 ng/m(3) were discarded and the 3-OHBaP values were adjusted to a 8 h exposure time. A close relationship was observed between the two variables: n 17, r = 0.89, p < .0001 (C 3-OHBaP = 0.001835 * C BaP + 0. 1729). To estimate the 3-OHBaP limit concentration, the French recommended value of 150 ng/m(3) for atmospheric BaP was used. The corresponding 3-OHBaP was 0.45 nmol/ mol creatinine. This value could be used as a sound basic element for determining a biological exposure index.