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Occup Environ Med 2008;65:732-735 doi:10.1136/oem.2007.036970
  • Original article

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene and malondialdehyde in male workers in Chinese restaurants

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  1. C-H Pan1,
  2. C-C Chan1,
  3. Y-L Huang2,
  4. K-Y Wu3
  1. 1
    Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
  2. 2
    Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  3. 3
    Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institute, Miaoli, Taiwan
  1. Dr Chang-Chuan Chan, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Rm 722, No 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei, 10020 Taiwan; ccchan{at}ntu.edu.tw
  • Accepted 29 February 2008

Abstract

Objectives: To assess internal dose and oxidative stress in male restaurant workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from cooking oil fumes (COFs) in Chinese restaurants.

Methods: The study participants included 288 male restaurant workers (171 kitchen and 117 service staff) in Chinese restaurants in Taiwan. Airborne particulate PAHs were measured over 12 h on each of two consecutive work days and then identified using high performance liquid chromatography. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) measurements were used to indicate COF exposure, and urinary malondialdehyde (MDA) was adopted as an oxidative stress marker. Multiple regression models were used to assess the relationship between MDA and 1-OHP levels after adjusting for key personal covariates.

Results: Summed particulate PAH levels in kitchens (median 23.9 ng/m3) were significantly higher than those in dining areas (median 4.9 ng/m3). For non-smoking kitchen staff, mean MDA and 1-OHP levels were 344.2 (SD 243.7) and 6.0 (SD 8.0) μmol/mol creatinine, respectively. These levels were significantly higher than those for non-smoking service staff, which were 244.2 (SD 164.4) and 2.4 (SD 4.3) μmol/mol creatinine, respectively. Urinary 1-OHP levels were significantly associated with work in kitchens (p<0.05). Furthermore, urinary MDA levels were significantly associated with urinary 1-OHP levels (p<0.001) and working hours per day (p<0.05).

Conclusions: These findings indicate that urinary 1-OHP and MDA levels reflect occupational exposure to PAHs from COFs and oxidative stress in workers in Chinese restaurants.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Funding: We are grateful for funding from the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Council of Labor Affairs, Taiwan (grant number: IOSH95-M304).

  • Patient consent: Obtained.

  • Ethics approval: The Institute Review Board of the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan approved this study.

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