Ricerc@Sapienza

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are products of the incomplete combustion of organic materials, and exposure of the general population to PAH is ubiquitous. They are also present in tobacco smoke. Some PAH are classified as carcinogens. Urine samples from 747 non-smoking and 269 smoking subjects living in the same area of Central Italy were analyzed in order to determine reference values for PAHs exposure of a general population. The concentration of cotinine, urinary metabolite of nicotine was also measured in these samples in order to classify the subjects as smokers or not.

In this study, the validation of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) isotopic dilution method for the determination of benzene and nicotine metabolites in urine was carried out. Limit of detection are 0.026 ?g/L for S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA), 0.55 ?g/L for t,t-muconic acid (t,t-MA), and 12.41 ?g/L for the cotinine, and the relative combined uncertainty was also calculated. The study involves 446 healthy volunteer residents since at least 10 years in an area of central Italy.