IMPLEMENTATION, VALIDATION AND APPLICATION OF A METHOD OF EVALUATION OF URINARY 1-HYDROXYPYRENE AS AN INDICATOR OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN RIO DE JANEIRO STATE, BRAZIL

Epidemiological studies have shown that the exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) increases the risk of several kinds of human cancers. In this way the use of biomarkers to evaluate PAH exposure is of interest. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPy) that is the major metabolite of pyrene has been considered as a suitable biomarker of exposure to PAHs as a group, but there are few data about urinary 1-OHPy in Brazil. The objectives of this study were the implementation and validation of a method for the evaluation of urinary 1-OHPy and its application to individuals submitted to environmental exposure to PAHs in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Sixty individuals were studied. The study group was composed of 27 smokers and 33 non- smokers individuals. The determination of 1-OHPy was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The concentrations of 1-OHPy were corrected by dividing them with the concentrations of urinary creatinine. Row data were statistically evaluated and invalid data or outliers were discarded. The mean concentration of urinary 1-OHPy for smokers (0,387 µg of 1-OHPy/g of creatinine, n = 25) was more than three times larger than that found for non-smokers (0,116 µg of 1- OHPy/g of creatinine, n = 27).