Biological monitoring of exposure to low concentrations of benzene in workers at a metallurgical coke production plant: new insights into S-phenylmercapturic acid and urinary benzene

Abstract

SPMA and U-Ben at the next BS were dependent on the exposure to low benzene concentrations suffered in the previous work shift, prompting a reconsideration of the urine sampling time recommended by the American Conference Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

Urinary Mercapturic Acids to Assess Exposure to Benzene and Other Volatile Organic Compounds in Coke Oven Workers

“…It is noteworthy to mention, though, that the values reported were surprisingly high (median levels of 2.14 and 5.30 µg/g creatinine for SPMA and SBMA, respectively) and this might be due to the presence of tobacco smokers among study subjects, which was not controlled [31]. Lovreglio and co-workers, assessing SPMA levels, revealed that coke oven workers were exposed to a low level of benzene and reported a median level of SPMA in the end-shift urine equal to 0.50 µg/g creatinine (from 0.10 to 6.89 µg/g creatinine); they also reported higher concentrations in oven standpipe workers than in byproduct workers [28]. Previous studies reported urinary levels of SPMA from 3.16 to 34.53 µmol/mol creatinine (6.68-72.96 µg/g creatinine) [32], from 0.4 to 62.6 µmol/mol creatinine (0.85-132.3 µg/g creatinine) [33], from 0.40 to 38.56 µg/g creatinine [29], and from <0.3 to 1020 µg/g creatinine [30].…”

“…Moreover, coke oven workers might also be exposed to VOCs emitted during destructive distillation. Indeed, a certain number of studies assessed the exposure to VOCs in coke oven workers quantifying their levels in workplace and breathing zone air, with overall levels ranging from 22.6 µg/m 3 to 2.17 mg/m 3 [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Only a few studies performed biomonitoring of VOC metabolites in coke oven workers.…”

“…Only a few studies performed biomonitoring of VOC metabolites in coke oven workers. In particular, the levels of the benzene metabolites trans, trans-muconic acid [28][29][30][31] and S-phenyl mercapturic acid (SPMA) [28][29][30][31][32][33] and the toluene metabolite S-benzyl mercapturic acid (SBMA) [31] have been measured in the urine of coke oven workers. However, the urinary concentrations of these metabolites have been reported to be highly affected by smoking habit: e.g., Lovreglio and co-workers reported median levels of SPMA equal to 1.35 µg/g creatinine in smoking coke oven workers versus 0.23 µg/g in non-smoking workers [28].…”

The Impact of Cultivation Management and Weed Control Systems of Very Early Potato on Weed Infestation, Biodiversity, and Health Safety of Tubers

“…The substance chosen as a biomarker of exposure to a given xenobiotic should be easy to extract from the biological material and should show, in analysis, significant correlation with the size of the absorbed dose of xenobiotic. The biological monitoring is the study of the concentration of the toxic substance or metabolite produced by the action of biological material [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Knowing the path and speed of change that various substances in the body are subjected to, based on the analysis of biomarkers of exposure, one can assess the size of the absorbed dose of xenobiotic and the resulting health risks.…”

“…They are not evenly distributed in plants; usually, they accumulate in their action place. Therefore, herbicide residues in plants are also not evenly distributed [ 8 , 19 , 20 ]. The residues in food products of active substances of herbicides used in plant production may be significant risk factors for lipid metabolism disorders, such as increased levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction; lowering the level of lipoproteins in the blood; blood density (HDL), which leads to an increase in atherosclerotic changes in the aorta and coronary arteries; and diseases of the cardiovascular system.…”