Limited data exist on exposures of young children to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the United States (US). The urinary metabolite of pyrene, 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPyr), is widely used as a biomarker of total PAH exposure. Our objectives were to quantify urinary 1-OHPyr levels in 126 preschool children over a 48-h period and to examine associations between selected sociodemographic/lifestyle factors and urinary 1-OHPyr levels. Monitoring was performed at 126 homes and 16 daycares in Ohio in 2001, and questionnaires and urine samples were collected. The median urinary 1-OHPyr level was 0.33 ng/mL. In a multiple regression model, sampling season (p = 0.0001) and natural log (ln)-transformed creatinine concentration (p = 0.0006) were highly significant predictors of ln-transformed 1-OH-Pyr concentration; cooking appliance type (p = 0.096) was a marginally significant predictor of ln(1-OHPyr). These children had higher median urinary 1-OHPyr levels compared to other US children (≤ 0.15 ng/mL) in previously published studies, which suggests possible geographical differences in PAH exposure.
Keywords: 1-hydroxypyrene; Ohio; biomarker; exposure; pyrene.