Variability in urinary concentrations of primary aromatic amines

Abstract

Despite their known carcinogenic potential, primary aromatic amines (AAs) continue to be used in various consumer products. Human exposure to AAs is a subject of current concern. Although urinary measurements are used in the assessment of exposure, little is known about within- and between-individual temporal variability in urinary concentrations of AAs. In this study, we determined the concentrations of 30 AAs, nicotine and cotinine in 213 first morning void (FMV) urine samples collected longitudinally for over a five-week period from 15 participants residing in the Albany area of New York State, USA. Eight AAs, namely, aniline, 2-naphthylamine (2-NA), p-cresidine (p-CD), p-toluidine (p-TD), o/m-toluidine (o/m-TD), 4-chloroaniline (4-CA), 4,4′-methylenedi-o-toluidine (4,4’-MDA), and 2,6-dimethylaniline (2,6-DMA) were found in urine at a detection frequency (DF) in the range of 68–100%. Aniline and 2,6-DMA were the predominant compounds found at median concentrations of 6.0 and 3.81 ng/mL, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of all urinary AA concentrations, except for 4-CA, showed moderate to poor predictability (ICC values ranged 0.248–0.697). Gender and ethnicity-related variations in ∑8AA concentrations were significant. Spearman's correlations among AA concentrations suggested that the sources of exposure were not related to tobacco smoke. No significant correlations existed between AAs concentrations and oxidative stress biomarkers (OSBs). The estimated daily intakes of AAs calculated based on urinary concentrations were several orders of magnitude below the tolerable daily intakes.