DNA adduct formation of benzo[a]pyrene in white blood cells of workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Abstract The major DNA adducts of anti -benzo[ a ]pyrene diolepoxide (BPDE) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) in white blood cells (WBC) of workers exposed to benzo[ a ]pyrene (B[ a ]P). In addition, ambient concentrations of B[ a ]P at the workplace were determined by personal air sampling. Workers in a refractory setting were examined before ( n = 26 ) and 3 months after ( n = 33 ) changing the production material (binding pitch). Furthermore, 9 coke oven workers were examined. The change in the production process in the refractory setting led to a decrease in the median of ambient B[ a ]P concentrations (0.14 to 3 ). The median of BPDE-DNA adduct levels in WBC also decreased from 0.9 adducts/10 8 nucleotides before changing the production material to 8 nucleotides 3 months afterwards. The B[ a ]P concentrations at the workplace for the coke oven workers were found to be significantly higher than in the refractory setting. However, BPDE-DNA adduct concentrations in coke oven workers and refractory setting workers showed no significant difference, which was probably due to the low number of studied subjects in the coke-oven setting. No significant differences could be observed for BPDE-DNA adduct levels between current smokers ( n = 21 ) and non-smokers ( n = 14 ; p = 0.93 ) from both plants. In addition, no correlation between B[ a ]P concentrations in the air and DNA adduct levels in refractory workers and in coke oven workers could be found ( r = - 0.03 , p = 0.87 ). Because of the missing correlation between personal air sampling and BPDE-DNA adduct levels in WBC, the results may indicate that their formation is either influenced by other routes of exposure to B[ a ]P (e.g., skin absorption, dietary habits) or interindividual differences in their formation and repair.