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CHARACTERIZING THE SOURCES OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO MUTAGENIC AND CARCINOGENIC CHEMICALS IN AIRBORNE FINE PARTICLES
Citation:
Lewtas, J. CHARACTERIZING THE SOURCES OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO MUTAGENIC AND CARCINOGENIC CHEMICALS IN AIRBORNE FINE PARTICLES. Presented at International Conference on Environmental Mutagens, Shizuoka, Japan, October 21-26, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this task is to develop and evaluate personal exposure and biomarker methods for toxic components associated with PM2.5 and SVOC in population exposures. Specific sub-objectives include the following:
1) Identification and quantification of either toxic or tracer organic chemicals associated with PM2.5 and associated SVOC.
2) Measurement of personal airborne exposure of selected toxic/tracer organic species in population based human exposure studies.
3) Development and application of urinary metabolite and other biomarker methods for these toxic/tracer organic species in human exposure studies.
4) Evaluation of multivariant receptor models for apportioning personal exposure using biomarker data.
Description:
Personal and ambient exposures to airborne fine particles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and genotoxic activity has been studied in populations in the US, Japan, China, and the Czech Republic. Personal exposure monitors used to collect fine particles were extracted for analysis of PAH and mutagenic activity. Exposures to tobacco smoke were monitored by measurement of airborne nicotine and/or urinary cotinine. Biomarkers of exposure, dose and susceptibility were measured in blood and urine samples and included metabolic genotype, DNA adducts, PAH metabolites, and urinary mutagenic activity. Stratification by metabolic genotype (GSTM1 and NAT2) decreased the variability in the relationship between personal exposure and biomarkers of exposure and dose. Characterization of the DNA adducts, mutagens, and influence of genotype suggest that nitrated PAH and/or other nitroarenes contribute to airborne exposures. Analysis of PAH profiles for both combustion emission sources and personal PAH exposure profiles led to the identification of benzo[ghi]perylene as a potential source tracer for gasoline engine exhaust and outdoor air. A new multivariant receptor model, recently used to determine the sources of ambient particles, was applied to the analysis of these human exposure and biomarker data.
This work has been funded in part by the United States Protection Agency and has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication.