Table 2.
Median concentrations of urinary PAH metabolites for study groups
| PAH metabolite | Controls | Chimney sweeps | Creosote-exposed workers | |||||||||||
| n | Median | Min | Max | n * | Median | Min | Max | P value † | n * | Median | Min | Max | P value ‡ | |
| 1-OH-Phe (µg/g crea.) | ||||||||||||||
| All participants | 151 | 0.14 | 0.016 | 2.3 | 148 | 0.23 | 0.032 | 1.7 | <0.001§ | 19 | 19 | 5.1 | 61 | <0.001§ |
| Smokers | 24 | 0.21 | 0.074 | 0.73 | 27 | 0.30 | 0.044 | 0.67 | 0.052 | 3 | 27 | 20 | 29 | 0.005 |
| Party/former smokers | 44 | 0.15 | 0.030 | 0.85 | 49 | 0.28 | 0.053 | 1.7 | <0.001 | 6 | 16 | 5 | 29 | <0.001 |
| Never smokers | 83 | 0.12 | 0.016 | 2.3 | 71 | 0.18 | 0.032 | 1.3 | <0.001 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 55 | <0.001 |
| ∑2-,3-OH-Phe (µg/g crea.) | ||||||||||||||
| All participants | 151 | 0.11 | 0.027 | 2.7 | 148 | 0.37 | 0.048 | 4.6 | <0.001§ | 19 | 35 | 11 | 92 | <0.001§ |
| Smokers | 24 | 0.27 | 0.041 | 1.3 | 27 | 0.50 | 0.080 | 2.1 | 0.004 | 3 | 49 | 41 | 49 | 0.005 |
| Party/ former smokers | 44 | 0.11 | 0.044 | 0.62 | 49 | 0.42 | 0.055 | 4.6 | <0.001 | 6 | 24 | 11 | 49 | <0.001 |
| Never smokers | 83 | 0.10 | 0.027 | 2.7 | 71 | 0.31 | 0.048 | 3.1 | <0.001 | 9 | 28 | 13 | 92 | <0.001 |
| 4-OH-Phe (ng/g crea.) | ||||||||||||||
| All participants | 151 | 15 | 2.6 | 95 | 148 | 27 | 3.8 | 304 | <0.001§ | 19 | 1051 | 293 | 9780 | <0.001§ |
| Smokers | 24 | 40 | 7.6 | 95 | 27 | 46 | 6.4 | 152 | 0.462 | 3 | 961 | 759 | 1144 | 0.005 |
| Party/ former smokers | 44 | 16 | 2.8 | 92 | 49 | 30 | 3.8 | 304 | <0.001 | 6 | 1186 | 293 | 7513 | <0.001 |
| Never smokers | 83 | 13 | 2.6 | 58 | 71 | 20 | 4.4 | 175 | <0.001 | 9 | 1051 | 300 | 9780 | <0.001 |
| ∑OH-Phe (µg/g crea.) | ||||||||||||||
| All participants | 151 | 0.27 | 0.070 | 5.1 | 148 | 0.64 | 0.086 | 6.6 | <0.001§ | 19 | 51 | 19 | 138 | <0.001§ |
| Smokers | 24 | 0.50 | 0.13 | 2.1 | 27 | 0.88 | 0.13 | 2.9 | 0.010 | 3 | 78 | 62 | 78 | 0.005 |
| Party/ former smokers | 44 | 0.28 | 0.12 | 1.1 | 49 | 0.71 | 0.12 | 6.6 | <0.001 | 6 | 44 | 19 | 72 | <0.001 |
| Never smokers | 83 | 0.23 | 0.070 | 5.1 | 71 | 0.54 | 0.086 | 4.3 | <0.001 | 9 | 42 | 19 | 138 | <0.001 |
| ∑OH-Flu (µg/g crea.) | ||||||||||||||
| All participants | 151 | 0.15 | 0.042 | 3.8 | 148 | 0.32 | 0.063 | 4.3 | <0.001§ | 19 | 53 | 27 | 128 | <0.001§ |
| Smokers | 24 | 1.4 | 0.21 | 3.8 | 27 | 1.5 | 0.22 | 3.4 | 0.473 | 3 | 79 | 71 | 118 | 0.005 |
| Party/ former smokers | 44 | 0.15 | 0.073 | 0.82 | 49 | 0.39 | 0.066 | 4.3 | <0.001 | 6 | 46 | 42 | 70 | <0.001 |
| Never smokers | 83 | 0.13 | 0.042 | 0.78 | 71 | 0.20 | 0.063 | 1.9 | <0.001 | 9 | 38 | 27 | 100 | <0.001 |
*There was one participant with missing smoking status.
†General linear model comparing controls with chimney sweeps adjusted for age.
‡General linear model comparing controls with creosote-exposed workers adjusted for age.
§Further adjusted for smoking.
∑OH-Flu, sum of 2-hydroxyfluorene and 3-hydroxyfluorene; ∑OH-Phe, sum of 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 2-hydroxyphenanthrene, 3-hydroxyphenanthrene and 4-hydroxyphenanthrene; ∑2-,3-OH-Phe, sum of 2-hydroxyphenanthrene and 3-hydroxyphenanthrene; PAH, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.