HEMOGLOBIN ADDUCTS FROM AROMATIC-AMINES AND TOBACCO-SPECIFIC NITROSAMINES IN PREGNANT SMOKING AND NONSMOKING WOMEN

In non-smokers, haemoglobin adducts from 3- and 4-aminobiphenyl have b een reported to arise mainly from exposure to environmental tobacco sm oke (ETS). Therefore, the impact of self-reported smoking (n = 27) and exposure of non-smokers to ETS (n = 78) on haemoglobin adducts was st udied in pregnant women from Homburg, Germany. In addition to 3- and 4 -aminobiphenyl, adducts from seven monocyclic aromatic amines (aniline , o-, m-, and p-toluidine, 2,4-dimethylaniline, 2-ethylaniline and o-a nisidine) and the adduct from tobacco-specific nitrosamines (4-hydroxy -1-(3 -pyridyl)-1-butanone) were determined. Five of 78 self-reported non-smoking women had plasma cotinine levels and urinary cotinine/crea tinine ratios indicative of active smoking. In the remaining 73 non-sm okers cotinine/creatinine ratios correlated significantly with self-re ported exposure to ETS. However, none of the haemoglobin adducts incre ased with increasing exposure to ETS or increasing cotinine/creatinine ratios. Although significantly elevated in smoking compared with non- smoking women, the mean haemoglobin adduct levels formed by tobacco-sp ecific nitrosamines (54.7 +/- 8.9 vs 26.7 +/- 4.1 fmol g(-1), p < 0.00 1), 3-aminobiphenyl (3.0 +/- 0.5 vs 14 +/- 0.1 pg g(-1), p < 0.001), 4 -aminobiphenyl (27.9 +/- 3.4 vs 10.2 +/- 0.7 pg g(-1), p < 0.001), o-t oluidine (289 +/- 25 vs 237 +/- 65 pg g(-1), p < 0.001), p-toluidine ( 315 +/- 32 vs 197 +/- 13 pg g(-1); p < 0.001), 2,4-dimethylaniline (25 .5 +/- 2.9 vs 18.6 +/- 1.6 pg g(-1), p < 0.05), had considerable overl appings ranges indicating lack of specificity as biomarkers to tobacco smoke exposure. Exposure to other as yet unknown environmental source s appears to be more significant than previously thought.