• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.474-481
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• 2011

This study investigated urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the urine of smokers and non-smokers by liquid chromatography triple quordrupole tandem mass spectroscopy (LC/MS/MS). Compounds analyzed for urinary biomarkers of PAHs were five mono-hydroxylated PAHs metabolites; 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, 1-hydroxypyrene(1-OHP), 3-phenanthrol, 2-fluorenol. Urine samples were pretreated by enzymatic hydrolysis and solid phase extraction method. Smokers were composed of 17 men and five women; non-smokers 17 men and 16 women. Smoking increased urinary concentrations of five PAHs metabolites significantly higher than those of nonsmokers. Statistically significant correlations among the five PAHs metabolites were shown. The results suggest that LC/MS/MS technology should be useful in the environmental health discipline.