HUMAN EXPOSURE AND DOSIMETRY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONS IN URINE FROM XUAN-WEI, CHINA WITH HIGH LUNG-CANCER MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO UNVENTED COAL SMOKE

The lung cancer mortality rate in Xuan Wei (XW) county, China, is 5-fo ld the national average of China; the rate for women is the highest in China, Xuan Wei residents have been exposed to unvented coal or wood smoke during cooking or heating in homes. This study investigated indo or air exposure and dosimetry of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH s) in XW residents using smoky coal, Indoor air particles collected du ring cooking in four XW homes using smoky coal were analyzed for PAHs by GC/MS, Urine samples from 16 XW non-smoking women and six XW smokin g men, eight Kunming non-smoking controls and four non-smoking Chinese American controls were analyzed for PAHs and hydroxy-PAHs by CC/Ms, T he results showed that XW residents were exposed to PAHs at occupation al levels. The potent carcinogen, dibenzo[alpha,l] pyrene (4.9 +/- 1.3 mu g/m(3)) was found in the indoor air of the XW homes. The levels of urinary hydroxy-PAH were higher than those of the parent compounds in most subjects, indicating that most PAHs were metabolized, In urine, the mean levels of 9-hydroxy Bar (Bar) and BaP are 1.5 +/- 0.5 mu mol/ mol creatinine and 0.5 +/- 0.3 mu m/mol for XW men, 1.9 +/- 0.9 mu m/m ol and 0.5 +/- 0.3 mu m/mol for XW women, In general, the levels of PA H metabolites in urine were higher in the XW residents than in Kunming and Chinese American controls; however only the concentrations of 9-h ydroxy Bar in XW women showed statistically significant difference fro m the Kunming controls (P < 0.05 by ranking test). The mean levels of 3 methylated-PAHs analyzed were 4.8-fold higher than that of the paren t PAHs in XW subjects, This is consistent with previous findings that alkylated PAHs are the major mutagens in the XW indoor air and may be etiologically important in XW lung cancer.