engleski

Evaluation of urinary BTEX, nicotine and cotinine as biomarkers of airborne pollutants in non-smokers and smokers

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and isomeric xylenes (BTEX) are by-products of tobacco smoke and traffic emissions. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of cigarette smoking to urinary levels of BTEX. Nicotine and cotinine, biomarkers of exposure to tobacco smoke, as well as BTEX, were measured in urine of smokers (N=70) and non-smokers (N=65) using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In smokers, a significant correlation was found between urinary BTEX levels and nicotine and cotinine. In addition, significant regression models with nicotine and cotinine as predictors showed that BTEX in smokers urine was predominantly derived from exposure to tobacco smoke. In non-smokers we found weak correlation between BTEX and nicotine and cotinine in urine and lack of significant contribution to urinary nicotine and cotinine concentrations to the variability of urinary BTEX. We assume that vehicle exhaust is the main source of exposure to BTEX in non-smokers.

BTEX; nicotine; cotinine; solid phase microextraction; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

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