Mutagenic activity and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in urine of workers exposed to coal tar pitch volatiles in an anode plant.

The mutagenicity of urinary extracts and the excretion of PAH from workers occupationally exposed to coal tar pitch volatiles in an anode plant were analyzed. Mutagenicity of the urinary extracts was measured by means of the plate test using S. typhimurium strain TA 98. After concentration, hydrolysis and reduction of the urine samples, PAH levels were measured by high resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. No significant difference was found in the mutagenicity of the urinary extracts of non-smokers occupationally exposed to PAH as compared with the controls. Low PAH concentrations were found in the urine of the exposed subjects, which lends further support to the negative results obtained with the Ames' test. The increase of urinary PAH excretion, in relation to occupational exposure, was mainly due to the less mutagenic, low molecular weight compounds.