Assessment of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during firefighting by measurement of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene

Firefighters may be exposed to carcinogenic agents in the smoke from fires, and there has been some concern regarding firefighers' risk of developing occupational-related cancer, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in most fires, posing a cancer risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate;che PAH exposure among firefighters, Students (n = 9) and teachers (n = 4) at a firefighter training school delivered urine samples before and 6 to 7 hours after extinguishing burning diesel fuel, The urine samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography for 1-hydroxypyrene. A small but significant increase in 1-hydroxypyrene levels zn the urine was found after the firefighting, This means that firefighting may cause exposure to PAHs, Although the exposure levels were low in this study, they may be different during other types of fires.