Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure, oxidative potential in dust, and their relationships to oxidative stress in human body: A case study in the indoor environment of Guangzhou, South China

• Published in: Environment international Vol. 149; p. 106405
• Main Authors: Zhang, Ying-Jie, Huang, Cong, Lv, Yan-Shan, Ma, She-Xia, Guo, Ying, Zeng, Eddy Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine; air; Air Pollutants - analysis; biomarkers; breathing; case studies; China; comparative study; dithiothreitol; DNA; dust; Dust - analysis; environment; Environmental Monitoring; Female; fluorenes; Human Body; Human exposure; human health; Humans; Indoor environment; ingestion; Male; metabolites; molecular weight; naphthalene; Oxidative damage; Oxidative potential; Oxidative Stress; phenanthrenes; pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - toxicity; polyurethanes; quartz; reactive oxygen species; urine; China; 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine; Indoor environment; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Oxidative potential; Oxidative damage; Human exposure
• ISSN: 0160-4120; 1873-6750; 1873-6750
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106405

[Display omitted] •Air inhalation was the main pathway for indoor PAHs entering human body.•Males were more susceptible to oxidative stress when exposure to PAHs.•Oxidative potential of indoor dust was initially quantified with DTT assay.•PAHs with high molecular weight possibly intensified oxidative potential in dust. A comparative study of internal and external exposure is a good method to comprehensively understand human exposure to environmental contaminants that may trigger oxidative stress in human body. Information is limited regarding the influences of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on human health from the environment. In addition, data on the contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from indoor environments, especially air, to total human exposure are still insufficient. The present study measured PAHs in paired indoor dust (n = 101), gas (polyurethane foams, n = 100), and particle samples (quartz fiber filters, n = 100) and their hydroxy metabolites (OH-PAHs) in 205 urine samples from 101 families in Guangzhou, South China. The oxidative potential (OP) in dust samples was quantified with a dithiothreitol (DTT) assay to reflect the oxidizability of ROSs, and explore the relationship between environmental ROSs and oxidative stress in humans (using urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker). The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of Σ16PAH via air inhalation were much higher than those from gas dermal contact, dust dermal contact, and dust ingestion (mean: 19.5 > 4.27 > 3.75 > 1.60 ng/kg_bw/day). Generally, approximately 16% of naphthalene, 28% of fluorene, 9% of phenanthrene, and 3% of pyrene were derived from indoor environments for all residents when compared with the total PAH exposure amount from all sources. Significantly positive relationships were found between OH-PAHs and 8-OHdG (coefficients β: 0.129–0.366, p < 0.05) checked by linear mixed effect models, and males seemed to be more susceptible than females to the DNA oxidative damage related to PAH exposure. The mean OP value in dust was 7.14 ± 6.68 pmol/(min·μg). Individual PAHs in dust gradually intensified the oxidizability of dust particles as their molecular weight increased. A potential but not significant dose-relationship was found between dusty OP and urinary 8-OHdG. Further work should determine the impact of chemical profiles on OP in different environmental media and continuously explore the potential to use OP as a useful indicator to reflect the total oxidizability of several groups of environmental pollutants.