Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure among European adults: Evidence from the HBM4EU aligned studies

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent environmental pollutants with well-documented associations to adverse health effects, posing significant public health challenges across Europe. Human exposure to 13 urinary PAH metabolites was assessed in a harmonized cohort of European adults aged 20-39, representing diverse geographic regions across Europe: North (Iceland and Denmark), East (Poland and the Czech Republic), South (Croatia and Portugal), and West (France, Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg). This study aimed to achieve a unified understanding of PAH exposure by employing stringent participant selection criteria and harmonizing biomarker analyses by utilizing high-quality analytical protocols across multiple laboratories in Europe. Key findings revealed consistently elevated metabolite levels in smokers compared to non-smokers, with naphthalene metabolites dominating the profiles over phenanthrene and fluorene derivatives. Country-specific analyses highlighted Poland as having the highest naphthalene metabolite concentrations, while Luxembourg exhibited elevated pyrene metabolite levels. Urbanization influenced exposure, with slightly higher metabolite concentrations in town populations compared to rural areas. While sex-based stratification revealed no marked differences, gender emerged as a significant covariate in regression models, with women generally displaying higher exposure to naphthalene metabolites. Educational level further stratified exposure, with lower education correlating with increased PAH levels. Multivariate linear regression identified key exposure factors, including sampling season (i.e., summer, winter, autumn, and spring), dietary habits e.g., smoked foods, and proximity to smoke-prone environments. This dataset provides a significant baseline for evaluating the European Commission's Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) and underscores the utility of harmonized human biomonitoring studies in informing targeted public health interventions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Environment International
Published
2025-03-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109383
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
7.20

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article

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure among European adults: Evidence from the HBM4EU aligned studies

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6 citations
Environment International
Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
7.20
article

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure among European adults: Evidence from the HBM4EU aligned studies

Jana Klánová, Beata Janasik, Laura Rodríguez Martín, Argelia Castaño, Eva Govarts, Marta Esteban, Marike Kolossa‐Gehring, Till Weber, Loïc Rambaud, Anna‐Maria Andersson, Nicole M Probst-Hensch, Medea Imboden, Catherine Gabriel, Margaux Riou, Sónia Namorado, Kristín Ólafsdóttir, Pavel Piler, Anders Juul, Greet E. R. Schoeters, Brice M. R. Appenzeller, Liese Gilles, Ovnair Sepai, Thorhallur Ingi Halldorsson, Lorraine Stewart, Anthoula Chatzimpaloglou, Wojciech Wąsowicz, Natasa Janev-Holcer, Dimosthenis Andreas Sarigiannis, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Achilleas Karakoltzidis, Spyros Karakitsios, N. Papaioannou
article en
6 citations

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent environmental pollutants with well-documented associations to adverse health effects, posing significant public health challenges across Europe. Human exposure to 13 urinary PAH metabolites was assessed in a harmonized cohort of European adults aged 20-39, representing diverse geographic regions across Europe: North (Iceland and Denmark), East (Poland and the Czech Republic), South (Croatia and Portugal), and West (France, Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg). This study aimed to achieve a unified understanding of PAH exposure by employing stringent participant selection criteria and harmonizing biomarker analyses by utilizing high-quality analytical protocols across multiple laboratories in Europe. Key findings revealed consistently elevated metabolite levels in smokers compared to non-smokers, with naphthalene metabolites dominating the profiles over phenanthrene and fluorene derivatives. Country-specific analyses highlighted Poland as having the highest naphthalene metabolite concentrations, while Luxembourg exhibited elevated pyrene metabolite levels. Urbanization influenced exposure, with slightly higher metabolite concentrations in town populations compared to rural areas. While sex-based stratification revealed no marked differences, gender emerged as a significant covariate in regression models, with women generally displaying higher exposure to naphthalene metabolites. Educational level further stratified exposure, with lower education correlating with increased PAH levels. Multivariate linear regression identified key exposure factors, including sampling season (i.e., summer, winter, autumn, and spring), dietary habits e.g., smoked foods, and proximity to smoke-prone environments. This dataset provides a significant baseline for evaluating the European Commission's Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) and underscores the utility of harmonized human biomonitoring studies in informing targeted public health interventions.

Environment InternationalVol. 198
University of Iceland (IS), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (GR), Masaryk University (CZ), Luxembourg Institute of Health (LU), German Environment Agency (DE), National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (PT), Flemish Institute for Technological Research (BE)
European Commission, Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, RECETOX Přírodovědecké Fakulty Masarykovy Univerzity
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
7.20
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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