A novel human biomonitoring study by semiconductor gas sensors in Exposomics: investigation of health risk in contaminated sites

Abstract

Two areas in central-southern Italy Land of Fires in Campania and Valley of Sacco river in Lazio are known to be contaminated sites, the first due to illegal fly-tipping and toxic fires, and the second due to an intensive industrial exploitation done by no-scruple companies and crooked public administration offices with dramatic consequences for environment and resident people. The work is intended to contribute to Human BioMonitoring (HBM) studies conducted in these areas on healthy young male population by a semiconductor gas sensor array trained by SPME-GC/MS. Human semen, blood and urine were investigated. The fingerprinting of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by a gas sensors system allowed to discriminate the different contamination of the two areas and was able to predict the chemical concentration of several VOCs identified by GC/MS.

Keywords: Exposome; Human biomonitoring; Land of fires; Semiconductor gas sensors; Solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; Valley of Sacco river; Volatile organic compounds.