Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are occupational and environmental pollutants generated by the incomplete combustion of organic matter. Exposure to PAHs can occur in various occupations. In this study, we compared PAH exposure levels among occupations based on 4 urinary PAH metabolites in a Korean adult population.

The evaluation of occupational exposure to PAHs was conducted using Second Korean National Environmental Health Survey data. The occupational groups were classified based on skill types. Four urinary PAH metabolites were used to evaluate PAH exposure: 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 2-naphthol (2-NAP), 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OHPHE), and 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFLU). The fraction exceeding the third quartile of urinary concentration for each PAH metabolite was assessed for each occupational group. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for exceeding the third quartile of urinary PAH metabolite concentration were calculated for each occupational group compared to the “business, administrative, clerical, financial, and insurance” group using multiple logistic regression analyses.

The “guard and security” (OR: 2.949; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.300–6.691), “driving and transportation” (OR: 2.487; 95% CI: 1.418–4.364), “construction and mining” (OR: 2.683; 95% CI: 1.547–4.655), and “agriculture, forestry, and fisheries” (OR: 1.973; 95% CI: 1.220–3.191) groups had significantly higher ORs for 1-OHP compared to the reference group. No group showed significantly higher ORs than the reference group for 2-NAP. The groups with significantly higher ORs for 1-OHPHE than the reference group were “cooking and food service” (OR: 2.073; 95% CI: 1.208–3.556), “driving and transportation” (OR: 1.724; 95% CI: 1.059–2.808), and “printing, wood, and craft manufacturing” (OR: 2.255; 95% CI: 1.022–4.974). The OR for 2-OHFLU was significantly higher in the “printing, wood, and craft manufacturing” group (OR: 3.109; 95% CI: 1.335–7.241) than in the reference group.

The types and levels of PAH exposure differed among occupational groups in a Korean adult population.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have become common pollutants with industrial development. Although the effect of exposure to PAHs on allergic disease in humans has been evaluated, evidence of an association is sparse. The association between PAH exposure and serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels was evaluated in Korean adults.

In total, this study included 3,269 participants in the Third Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2015–2017). Four urinary PAH metabolites were used to assessed exposure to PAHs: 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 2-naphthol, and 2-hydroxyfluorene. The analyses were performed on 3 cutoff levels (100 IU/mL, 114 IU/mL, and 150 IU/mL) set as the total IgE elevation. Prevalence of total IgE elevation by PAH exposure group and general characteristics (age, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol drinking, and occupation) were analyzed using the Rao–Scott χ² test. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for total IgE elevation by PAH exposure groups.

Total IgE elevation differed significantly by age, sex, smoking status, alcohol drinking status, and occupation. For 2-hydroxyfluorene, the fourth quartile showed a significant association with IgE elevation compared to the first quartile in the analyses of cutoff-level 100 IU/mL (OR: 1.372, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.007–1.869) and 114 IU/mL (OR: 1.643, 95% CI: 1.167–2.312). In the analysis of cutoff-level 150 IU/mL, the adjusted ORs of the third and fourth quartile of 2-hydroxyfluorene were significantly higher than the first quartile (3rd quartile: OR: 1.478, 95% CI: 1.034–2.113; 4th quartile: OR: 1.715, 95% CI: 1.161–2.534). However, there were no significant positive associations for the other metabolites.

This study implied that PAHs exposure is associated with total IgE elevation in Korean adults. More research is needed to confirm the effect of exposure to PAHs on serum IgE and allergic diseases.

Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) has been linked to allergic disease onset. Variations in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene family can impact the progression of allergic diseases. We sought to examine the association between prenatal PAH exposure and infantile allergic diseases in 6-month-old infants, and how maternal glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) or T1 (GSTT1) polymorphism affects the association between prenatal PAH exposure and allergic diseases in the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study.

The study sample comprised 349 infants and their mothers from the MOCEH study, for whom 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 2-naphthol were measured in both the early period of pregnancy and late period of pregnancy. An infant was deemed to be affected by an allergic disease if diagnosed with or if developed at least one of the allergic diseases. A logistic regression analysis was performed to study the association between urinary 1-OHP and 2-naphthol levels during pregnancy and allergic diseases in 6-month-old infants. Furthermore, analyses stratified by maternal GSTM1 or GSTT1 present/null polymorphisms were performed.

The risk of allergic diseases in 6-month-old infants was significantly increased in accordance with an increase in urinary 1-OHP during the early period of pregnancy (odds ratio [OR]: 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 3.23; by one log-transformed unit of 1-OHP μg/g creatinine). The increased risk of infantile allergic diseases associated with urinary 1-OHP during the early period of pregnancy was limited to the maternal GSTT1 null type (OR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.17, 6.21, by one log-transformed unit of 1-OHP μg/g creatinine); however, the Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction was not statistically significant.

The present study found that infantile allergic diseases could be affected by intrauterine PAH exposure, particularly in the early prenatal period and the risk was limited to the maternal GSTT1 null type.