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Urinary biomonitoring in firefighters: baseline data of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites

Publication . Barros, B.; Oliveira, M.; Paiva, M.; Fernandes, A.; Alves, S.; Vaz, J.; Esteves, F.; Slezakova, K.; Alves, M.J.; Madureira, J.; Pereira, M.C.; Morais, S.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most relevant pollutants in the firefighting context and urine the most straightforward and interesting matrix for biomonitoring. Recent studies have found elevated levels of PAH metabolites in firefighters in comparison to the general population. Since Portuguese firefighters are poorly characterized, the aim of this study was to determine the baseline data (i.e., with no recent exposure to fire emissions) of several urinary monohydroxyl-PAHs (OHPAHs; 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 1-hydroxyacenaphthene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1- hydroxypyrene, 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene) in this occupational group. A total of 106 Portuguese firefighters were enrolled in this study and characterized through a previously validated questionnaire. Individual OHPAHs were detected with a frequency of 90-99%, except for 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene (biomarker of exposure to carcinogenic PAHs) that was not identified. The individual levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (the established biomarker for PAHs exposure) were lower than the recommended biological exposure limit proposed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (0.93 µmol/mol creatinine). This study characterized the baseline data of PAHs exposure in Portuguese firefighters by urinary biomonitoring, which enables comparison with occupational studies from other countries and contributes to fill a research gap in Portugal

2023-06-21Conference object

Open access

Biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure and short-time health effects in wildland firefighters during real-life fire events

Publication . Paiva, Ana Margarida; Barros, Bela; Oliveira, Marta; Alves, Sara; Esteves, Filipa; Fernandes, Adília; Vaz, Josiana; Slezáková; Teixeira, João Paulo; Costa, Solange; Morais, Simone

Human biomonitoring data retrieved from real-life wildland firefighting in Europe and, also, worldwide are scarce. Thus, in this study, 176 Portuguese firefighters were biomonitored pre- and post- unsimulated wildfire combating (average:12-13 h; maximum: 55 h) to evaluate the impact on the levels of urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons hydroxylated metabolites (OHPAH; quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection) and the associated short-term health effects (symptoms, and total and differentiated white blood cells). Correlations between these variables and data retrieved from the self-reported questionnaires were also investigated. Firefighters were organized into four groups according to their exposure to wildfire emissions and their smoking habits: non-smoking non-exposed (NSNExp), non-smoking exposed (NSExp), smoking non-exposed (SNExp), and smoking and exposed (SExp). The most abundant metabolites were 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 1-hydroxyacenaphthene (1OHNaph + 1OHAce) (98-99 %), followed by 2-hydroxyfluorene (2OHFlu) (0.2-1.1 %), 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1OHPhen) (0.2-0.4 %), and 1-hydroxypyrene (1OHPy) (0.1-0.2 %); urinary 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene was not detected. The exposure to wildfire emissions significantly elevated the median concentrations of each individual and total OHPAH compounds in all groups, but this effect was more pronounced in non-smoking (1.7-4.2 times; p ≤ 0.006) than in smoking firefighters (1.3-1.6 times; p ≤ 0.03). The greatest discriminant of exposure to wildfire emissions was 1OHNaph + 1OHAce (increase of 4.2 times), while for tobacco smoke it was 2OHFlu (increase of 10 times). Post-exposure, white blood cells count significantly increased ranging from 1.4 (smokers, p = 0.025) to 3.7-fold (non-smokers, p < 0.001), which was accompanied by stronger significant correlations (0.480 < r < 0.882; p < 0.04) between individual and total OHPAH and total white blood cells (and lymphocytes > monocytes > neutrophils in non-smokers), evidencing the impact of PAH released from wildfire on immune cells. This study identifies Portuguese firefighters with high levels of biomarkers of exposure to PAH and points out the importance of adopting biomonitoring schemes, that include multiple biomarkers of exposure and biomarkers of effect, and implementing mitigations strategies.

2024-03-19Research article

Open access