TITLE:
Comparison of Urinary PAHs among Firefighters and Asphalt Pavers
AUTHORS:
Theodore L. Aquino, Giffe T. Johnson, Thomas Truncale, Raymond D. Harbison
KEYWORDS:
PAHs, Firefighters, Asphalt Workers, Urinary Biomarkers
JOURNAL NAME:
Occupational Diseases and Environmental Medicine,
Vol.5 No.2,
May
19,
2017
ABSTRACT: Objective: The purpose of the investigation is to examine urinary biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure among firefighters and asphalt workers. Methods: Average concentrations of urinary PAHs were used for comparative analysis between groups of firefighters and asphalt pavers. Microsoft Excel was used to perform calculations and the t-test was utilized for statistical analysis. Results: When compared to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standard for smokers and non-smokers, firefighters demonstrated various statistically significant differences in urinary PAH concentrations. Asphalt workers had statistically significant higher urinary concentrations in three PAHs as compared to the NIST smoker mean. Conclusions: Firefighters did not demonstrate a substantial change in urinary PAH metabolite levels when compared to controls. Asphalt pavers experienced concentrations that were in some cases increased by orders of magnitude compared to controls.