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The influence of demographic and lifestyle factors on urinary levels of PAH metabolites—empirical analyses of Cycle 2 (2009–2011) CHMS data

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 31, pages 386–397 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of compounds formed during the incomplete combustion of organic matter. Several are mutagenic carcinogens; the magnitude of exposure can be assessed by examining urinary levels of PAH metabolites. Data from biomonitoring studies that record urinary PAH metabolite levels, as well as demographic and lifestyle information, can be used to investigate relationships between PAH exposure and variables, such as smoking status, workplace smoking restrictions, age, sex, household income, home age, and occupation. This study analysed creatinine-adjusted urinary PAH metabolite concentrations and questionnaire data from ~1200 individuals aged 16 years and older surveyed in Cycle 2 of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). Statistical analyses revealed that smoking status, age, and sex are associated with urinary concentrations of a pyrene metabolite (1-OHP), phenanthrene metabolites (ΣOH-Phen), fluorene metabolites (ΣOH-Flu) and naphthalene metabolites (ΣOH-Nap). More specifically, smoking status, age and sex can collectively account for 30, 24, 52, and 34% of the observed variations in 1-OHP, ΣOH-Phen, ΣOH-Flu and ΣOH-Nap metabolites, respectively (p < 0.001). Analyses of non-smokers revealed weak but significant effects of age, sex, home age, and occupation on urinary levels of selected PAH metabolites (i.e., <7% of observed variation, p < 0.05). The unexplained variation in PAH metabolite levels is most likely related to diet, which was not examined. Although the results revealed significant relationships between urinary PAH metabolite levels and several lifestyle and/or demographic variables, robust examinations of selected effects (e.g., sex, home age, occupation) will require datasets that are balanced with respect to the other highlighted variables. The results can be used to identify remedial measures to reduce exposure and concomitant risk, and/or design follow-up studies to test hypotheses regarding the causes of exposure differences empirically related to sex, age, home age, and occupation.

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Fig. 1: Relationship between geometric mean (GM) urinary PAH metabolite levels and examined variables.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the support of the University of Ottawa, the CREATE-REACT program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Ontario Ministry of Labour, and Health Canada Intramural Funding. We are grateful for comments received from two Health Canada internal reviewers and three anonymous peer reviewers.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Jennifer L. A. Keir, Jules M. Blais & Paul A. White

  2. Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada

    Sabit Cakmak & Paul A. White

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  1. Jennifer L. A. Keir
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Keir, J.L.A., Cakmak, S., Blais, J.M. et al. The influence of demographic and lifestyle factors on urinary levels of PAH metabolites—empirical analyses of Cycle 2 (2009–2011) CHMS data. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 31, 386–397 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-020-0208-4

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