Urinary monohydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons among healthy elderly in the China BAPE Study: Exposure characteristics, influencing factors, and health risks

Formed through the partial burning of carbon-based materials, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a prevalent class of environmental contaminants associated with significant human health risks. However, comprehensive exposure and health risk assessment remain lacked, specifically among the elderly population. This research involved carrying out five sequential surveys across a five-month period, with 76 healthy elderly individuals participating from Jinan, Shandong Province, to quantify urinary concentrations of 16 monohydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) and their associated health risks. To investigate determinants of PAHs exposure, we utilized Spearman correlation and linear mixed-effects modeling techniques. Among the 16 OH-PAHs, 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-NAP) demonstrated the peak median urinary concentration at 1.78 μg/g creatinine. Urinary OH-PAHs concentrations were significantly influenced by demographic factors and dietary habits. The parameter showed a negative association with educational level and alcohol intake, yet aligned positively with the consumption of drinking water, rice, millets, corn products, and thermally processed fried foods. Hazard index (HI) analysis showed that no potential non-carcinogenic risks from PAH exposures among healthy older adults in this study. Furthermore, carcinogenic risk assessment demonstrated that all participants exceeded the upper safety threshold of 10^-4, highlighting carcinogenicity as the predominant health concern. The findings of this study provide key scientific evidence for formulating targeted PAHs exposure mitigation policies, especially in the dietary exposure route. They provide novel insights to inform public health decision-making, enabling the optimization of dietary intervention strategies to reduce health risks associated with PAHs exposure among the elderly population, thereby contributing to the goal of healthy aging.