Urinary levels of monohydroxyl PAH metabolites in portuguese firefighters: background levels and impact of tobacco smoke

• Main Author: Oliveira, Marta
• Publication Date: 2016
• Other Authors: Slezakova, Klara, Gomes, Maria José, Azevedo, Ana, Teixeira, João Paulo Fernandes, Delerue-Matos, Cristina, Pereira, Maria do Carmo, Morais, Simone
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/13606
• topic: Monohydroxyl PAH; Urinary levels; Firefighters; Tobacco smoke

Firefighting occupational exposure is classified as possible carcinogen to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [1,2].  Tobacco smoke is a very important factor in the assessment of occupational exposure of workers, since the prolonged exposure to tobacco smoke is by itself the major cause of lung cancer [3]. The consumption of tobacco is responsible for the exposure to many smoke components including more than sixty known carcinogens, including some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [4].  PAHs are ubiquitous compounds formed during pyrolysis or incomplete combustion of organic matter, being well-known for their toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic properties to humans [5,6]. So far, the impact of tobacco smoke on firefighters’ total exposure to PAHs is very limited.