Levels Of Benzo[a]pyrene Research Articles

Health and environmental consequences of crop residue burning correlated with increasing crop yields midst India’s Green Revolution

The Green Revolution (GR) enhances crop yields significantly that contributes greatly to the social and economic development of many less developed countries. However, the increasing crop yields might rise crop residue biomass burning, leading to adverse environmental and health consequences. We assess the impact of crop residue burning associated with the GR-induced growing crop yields on benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) pollution, a congener of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with strong carcinogenicity. We find a significant increasing trend of BaP emission and contamination from crop residue biomass burning from the mid-1960s to 2010s in India, coinciding with the growing crop yields occurring during the GR. Our results reveal that agricultural BaP emission driven lifetime lung cancer risk (ILCR) in India increased 2.6 times from the onset of GR in the mid-1960s to 2014 and the 57% population in India was exposed to the BaP level higher than the India national standard (1 ng m−3). We show that the reduction of open crop residue burning during the rice and wheat residue burning period would be a very effective measure to reduce BaP environmental contamination and health risk.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in potato and related products in Tehran: a health risk assessment study

ABSTRACT The present study was performed to determine the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and health risk in potato and related products (raw potato, fries potato, charcoal-grilled potato, gas-grilled potato, boiled potato and industrial potato chips) using the MSPE technique (magnetic solid phase extraction) and GC/MS method (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). The results exhibited that the median of 16 PAHs was 10.63 µg/kg. Also, the median level of BaP (Benzo[a]pyrene) in samples was 0.07 µg/kg, which was less than standard level of the European Commission (maximum level of BaP in vegetables is 1 and in dried herbs is 10 μg/kg). The highest and lowest median level of ƩPAHs were evaluated in potato chips (19.28 μg/kg) and raw potatoes (6.31 μg/kg), respectively. The simulation of Monte Carlo used to estimate the indexes of Chronic Daily Intake (CDI) and Incremental Life Cancer Risk (ILCR). This results showed the rank order of the index of CDI according to percentile 95% was Nap > Ace > Acy > Ph > Fla > An > Chr > B(k)F > B(a)P. The cancer risk assessment exhibited PAHs in samples did not pose a serious concern to humans (ILCR<10−6), which were below the provisional maximum tolerable daily (10 ng/kg bw day−1).

A new approach for reducing pollutants level: a longitudinal cohort study of physical exercises in young people

BackgroundThe present study aimed to evaluate the elimination of three common pollutants (dimethoate, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and bisphenol A (BPA) by different physical exercises and to assess the possible factors which could affect the pollutants elimination.MethodsA total of 200 individuals who chose different kinds of exercises in accordance to their own wish were recruited. The levels of urinary pollutants were measured using β-glucuronidase hydrolysis followed by a high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry-based method.ResultsTotally, the levels of dimethoate, BaP and BPA were reduced after physical exercises. However, the elimination of BaP in male was higher than that in female but the elimination of BPA in female was higher than that in male. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the degree of heart rate (HR) change was a protective factor affecting the improvement effect of dimethoate, BaP and BPA while BMI (body mass index) was a risk factor. Nevertheless, sex was a risk factor affecting the improvement of dimethoate and BaP but had a lower efficacy on BPA improvement.ConclusionThe present findings indicate that physical exercises can be considered as a novel approach to eliminate pollutants level in human body and can also give suggestions for choosing specific physical exercises to male and female individuals. Moreover, those who are with higher BMI need to lose weight before eliminating pollutant level through physical exercises.

Optimization of the Refining Process for Removing Benzo(a)pyrene and Improving the Quality of Tea Seed Oil

AbstractTo reduce the contamination of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in refined oil during processing, the degumming, deacidification, decolorization, and deodorization processes are optimized to remove BaP and improve the quality of tea seed oil. The results show that decolorization is the most obvious refining process of removing BaP, which is mainly due to the addition of activated carbon and decolorization time. In addition, to ensure the quality of refined tea seed oil and remove BaP, the deodorization temperature and time should be strictly controlled. Comparing with crude oil, the removal rates of BaP in the optimized processes of degumming, deacidification, decolorization, and deodorization reached 16.26%, 18.36%, 92.76%, and 91.08%, respectively. The optimized refining processes can significantly decrease the level of BaP from 9.53 ± 0.02 µg kg−1 in crude tea seed oil to 0.85 ± 0.10 µg kg−1 in refined tea seed oil, and the other physicochemical indexes are in line with the international standard for refined oil. This study can provide useful guidance for the safe processing of refined tea seed oil.Practical Applications: BaP is an internationally recognized carcinogen. In view of the current situation of commercial edible oil being contaminated by BaP, it is particularly important to control the level of BaP in the refining process. To remove BaP while improving the quality of oil, the processes of degumming, deacidification, decolorization, and deodorization of tea seed oil were optimized, and the best refining processes were determined. The results have important practical significance, which could help to reduce the level of BaP and provide a useful reference for the safe production of refined tea seed oil.

Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) carcinogen in Indonesian commercial goat satay

This study aimed to investigate the carcinogen content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in commercial charcoal grilled goat satay. Twenty-one portions of commercial raw goat satay and charcoal grilled goat satay samples were obtained from 4 restaurants which are the largest, well-known, and 15-55 years old goat satay restaurant in Batu Municipality, East Java. Sampling of 2 goat satay types (goat satay without sliced fat and goat satay with sliced fat) was carried out 3 replications in 3 consecutive weekends where many tourists visited. The results showed that the temperature of wood charcoal for grilling commercial raw goat satay in various satay restaurants ranged 486.833-548.300 oC with a grilling duration of 2-5.5 minutes and grilling distance of 0.5-2 cm. The weight of raw goat satay for a serving (10 skewers) ranged 144.000-194.000 g and after grilling the weight ranged 97.333-148.000 g. Total natural antioxidant activity (Dipheny-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH), fat content and moisture content of raw goat satay with sliced fat and without sliced fat reached up to 36.661 and 34.124%; 13.440-26.100% and 1.5-6.305%; 57.940-66.385% and 71.530-76.810%, respectively. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), the only type of PAHs that is carcinogenic, for charcoal grilled goat satay with sliced fat and without sliced fat in various satay restaurants, ranged from not detected to 6.330 mg/kg and not detected to 0.773 mg/kg, respectively. The levels of BaP in charcoal grilled goat satay in several satay restaurants exceeded the safety limit by National Agency of Drug and Food Control (NA-DFC) of Republic Indonesia. Benzo(a)antharacene (BaA) and pyrene (Pyr) were detected in all grilled goat satay samples in various satay restaurants. Whereas, phenanthrene (Phe), acenaphthene (Acp) and naphthalene (Nap) were not detected in all grilled goat satay samples in various satay restaurants. The conclusion of our study was that the commercial charcoal grilled goat satay that are sold in Batu municipality contains PAH, especially the carcinogenic B(a)P. Therefore practical mitigation efforts are needed for producers to reduce and prevent the formation of carcinogenic B(a)P in commercial charcoal grilled goat satay.

Change of benzo(a)pyrene during frying and its groove binding to calf thymus DNA

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a prototype of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with potential mutagenicity, toxicity and carcinogenicity, is ubiquitous in deep-fried foods. Herein, the changes in eight specific PAHs (PAH8) concentration in sunflower oil during frying were investigated by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS). PAH8 concentrations in sunflower oil were 23.92–27.82 μg kg−1 and increased with increasing frying time. The detected BaP levels were 3.64–4.00 μg kg−1, exceeding the upper limit (2 μg kg−1) set by European Union (EU), though below the limiting value (10 μg kg−1) in China. The interaction between BaP and calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) was explored through various spectroscopic methods and molecular docking. Melting studies, denaturation experiments, ionic strength effects and viscosity measurements indicated that BaP interacted with ctDNA primarily via groove binding as evidenced by circular dichroism analysis and molecular docking. Further gel electrophoresis assays suggested that DNA was damaged at high levels of BaP.

Risk of breast cancer associated with long-term exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) air pollution: Evidence from the French E3N cohort study

BackgroundBenzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an endocrine-disrupting pollutant formed during incomplete combustion of organic materials. It has been recognized as a reproductive and developmental toxicant, however epidemiological evidence of the long-term effect of ambient air BaP on breast cancer (BC) is limited. Thus we evaluated associations between ambient air BaP exposure and risk of BC, overall and according to menopausal status and molecular subtypes (estrogen receptor negative/positive (ER−/ER+) and progesterone receptor negative/positive (PR−/PR+)), stage and grade of differentiation of BC in the French E3N cohort study. MethodsWithin a nested case-control study of 5222 incident BC cases and 5222 matched controls, annual BaP exposure was estimated using a chemistry-transport model (CHIMERE) and was assigned to the geocoded residential addresses of participants for each year during the 1990–2011 follow-up period. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). ResultsOverall, cumulative airborne BaP exposure was significantly associated with the overall risk of BC, for each 1 interquartile range (IQR) increase in the concentration levels of BaP (1.42 ng/m3), the OR = 1.15 (95% CI: 1.04–1.27). However, by menopausal status, the significant positive association remained only in women who underwent menopausal transition (i.e. premenopausal women at inclusion who became postmenopausal at diagnosis), OR per 1 IQR = 1.20 (95% CI: 1.03–1.40). By hormone receptor status, positive associations were observed for ER+, PR + and ER + PR + BC, with ORs = 1.17 (95% CI: 1.04–1.32), 1.16 (95% CI: 1.01–1.33), and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.01–1.36) per 1 IQR, respectively. There was also a borderline positive association between BaP and grade 3 BC (OR per 1 IQR = 1.15 (95% CI: 0.99–1.34). ConclusionsWe provide evidence of increased risk of BC associated with cumulative BaP exposure, which varied according to menopausal status, hormone receptor status, and grade of differentiation of BC. Our results add further epidemiological evidence to the previous experimental studies suggesting the adverse effects of BaP.

Benzopyrene induces oxidative stress and increases expression and activities of antioxidant enzymes, and CYP450 and GST metabolizing enzymes in Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta).

Benzopyrene is rapidly incorporated and metabolized, and induces oxidative stress and activation of antioxidant enzymes, and CYP450 and GST metabolizing enzymes in Ulva lactuca. To analyze absorption and metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in Ulva lactuca, the alga was cultivated with 5µM of BaP for 72h. In the culture medium, BaP level rapidly decreased reaching a minimal level at 12h and, in the alga, BaP level increased until 6h, remained stable until 24h, and decreased until 72h indicating that BaP is being metabolized in U. lactuca. In addition, BaP induced an initial increase in hydrogen peroxide decreasing until 24h, superoxide anions level that remained high until 72h, and lipoperoxides that initially increased and decreased until 72h, showing that BaP induced oxidative stress. Activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (AP), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GP) were increased, whereas dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) activity was unchanged. The level of transcripts encoding these antioxidant enzymes was increased, but transcripts encoding DHAR remained unchanged. Interestingly, the activity of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was also increased, and inhibitors of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) and GST activities enhanced the level of BaP in algal tissue, suggesting that these enzymes participate in BaP metabolism.

Stability of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons during Heating

The stability of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) standards, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), benzo[a]anthracene (BaA) and dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBahA) during heating was studied. The residual amount of each PAH was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results showed that during heating in a closed system, the levels of BaA, BaP and DBahA in solid form or in hexane decreased both with increasing temperature and time. The degradation of each PAH during heating fits a first-order model, and the degradation rate constant (hr-1) at 200°C was higher than at 100°C. Also, the PAHs in solid form possessed higher stability than in hexane. Either in solid form or in solution, BaA showed the highest degradation rate constant, followed by BaP and DBahA at 100°C. Similar result was found at 200°C, with the exception that BaA was more stable than BaP.

Abstract A25: Arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene coexposure synergizes in inducing cancer stem cell-like property and lung tumorigenesis

Abstract Arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) are among the most common environmental pollutants that humans are exposed to. Both arsenic and BaP are well-recognized human carcinogens that cause lung cancer. Since millions of people are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water and high levels of BaP are found in cigarette smoke and barbecue cooked meat, arsenic and BaP coexposure is thus very common in humans. However, the combined effect and the underlying mechanism of arsenic and BaP coexposure are poorly understood. Using cell culture and mouse models, we investigated the combined effect of arsenic and BaP coexposure. It was found that arsenic and BaP coexposure acts synergistically in inducing cell malignant transformation as evidenced by forming more than an additive number of soft agar clones compared to arsenic or BaP exposure alone in BEAS-2B cells for 30 weeks. We also determined the combined effect of arsenic and BaP coexposure in inducing cancer stem cell (CSC)-like property by using a well-established assay known as suspension culture sphere formation assay. It was found that BEAS-2B cells transformed by arsenic or BaP exposure alone are capable of forming small numbers of spheres. However, BEAS-2B cells transformed by arsenic and BaP coexposure form more than an additive number of spheres compared to cells transformed by arsenic or BaP exposure alone, indicating that arsenic and BaP coexposure also acts synergistically in inducing CSC-like property. Since CSCs or CSC-like cells are considered tumor-initiating cells, we first compared the tumorigenic effect of BEAS-2B cells transformed by arsenic, BaP alone, or arsenic and BaP coexposure by subcutaneous inoculation of 0.25 × 106 cells into the right flank of 6-week old nu/nu nude mice. It was found that 0 of 5 mice injected with BEAS-2B-Control cells, 0 of 5 mice injected with arsenic exposure alone-transformed cells, 2 of 5 mice injected with BaP exposure alone-transformed cells develop tumors; however, all 5 mice injected with arsenic and BaP coexposure transformed cells develop tumors. These results indicate that cells transformed by arsenic and BaP coexposure have significantly stronger tumor-initiating capability than cells transformed by arsenic or BaP exposure alone. To further investigate whether arsenic and BaP coexposure acts synergistically in inducing mouse lung tumors, male A/J mice were exposed to vehicle control, arsenic, BaP, or arsenic plus BaP for 34 weeks. No lung tumors were found in control and arsenic exposure alone mice. All mice with BaP exposure developed lung tumors. However, mice exposed to arsenic plus BaP developed significantly more (tumor multiplicity) and bigger (tumor burden) lung tumors compared to mice exposed to BaP alone. Together, these results demonstrate a synergism of arsenic and BaP coexposure in inducing lung tumorigenesis. Further mechanistic studies revealed that arsenic and BaP coexposure synergizes in causing epigenetics deregulation to enhance their carcinogenicity. Citation Format: Zhishan Wang, Ping Yang, Yunfei Li, Drew Maddy, Chengfeng Yang. Arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene coexposure synergizes in inducing cancer stem cell-like property and lung tumorigenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr A25.

Extraction of Benzo[a]pyrene from Moist Snuff with Water or Artificial Saliva (Part 2)

Summary The present study evaluated the in vitro extraction of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) from moist snuff into water and into artificial saliva. A similar, previous study evaluated the levels of BaP that remained in the moist snuff after the extraction but did not measure the levels of BaP in the water or saliva extract. The previous study showed that the remaining levels of BaP in the solid material were between 96.3% and 109.6% relative to the initial level of BaP, when the snuff was washed with water and between 99.4% and 108.3% from the initial level of BaP, when the snuff was washed with both saliva and water. Nine moist snuff samples (eight being the same brands as evaluated in the previous study) were analyzed in the present study. Several improvements were made compared to the previous study regarding the extraction conditions. The extraction was performed for 1 h at 37 °C, using a mechanical agitator. The previous study used a commercially available artificial saliva which had an adjusted pH but did not contain enzymes or salts. This saliva was replaced with complete artificial saliva containing salts, mucin and enzymes. The results indicated that the level of BaP extracted in 100 mL water from 5 g of moist snuff at 37 °C ranged between 1.0% and 1.7% of the initial level present in tobacco. For artificial saliva, the extracted level of BaP was between 2% and 3.9% from the initial level, depending on the moist snuff brand. Although the BaP level extracted from the moist snuff with artificial saliva remained very low, the surfactant character of artificial saliva increased BaP extraction relative to water by a factor of approximately two. This study supports the previous reported finding that the vast majority of BaP in moist snuff is not extracted in water or artificial saliva.

Arsenic and benzo[a]pyrene co-exposure acts synergistically in inducing cancer stem cell-like property and tumorigenesis by epigenetically down-regulating SOCS3 expression

Arsenic and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are among the most common environmental carcinogens causing lung cancer. Millions of people are exposed to arsenic through consuming arsenic-contaminated drinking water. High levels of BaP are found in well-done barbecued meat and other food in addition to cigarette smoke. Hence, arsenic and BaP co-exposure in humans is common. However, the combined health effect and the underlying mechanism of arsenic and BaP co-exposure have not been well-understood. In this study we investigate the combined tumorigenic effect of arsenic and BaP co-exposure and the mechanism using both cell culture and mouse models. It was found that arsenic (sodium arsenite, 1.0 µM) and BaP (2.5 µM) co-exposure for 30 weeks synergizes in inducing malignant transformation of immortalized non-tumorigenic human bronchial epithelial cells and cancer stem cell (CSC)-like property to enhance their tumorigenicity. In animal studies, A/J mice were exposed to arsenic in drinking water (sodium arsenite, 20 ppm) starting from gestation day 18. After birth, the dams continuously received arsenic water throughout lactation. At weaning (3 weeks of age), male offspring were exposed to either arsenic alone via drinking the same arsenic water or exposed to arsenic plus BaP. BaP was administered via oral gavage (3 µmol per mouse per week) once a week starting from 3 weeks of age for 8 weeks. All mice were euthanized 34-weeks after the first BaP exposure. It was found that mice in control and arsenic exposure alone group did not develop lung tumors. All mice in BaP exposure alone group developed lung adenomas. However, arsenic and BaP co-exposure synergized in increasing lung tumor multiplicity and tumor burden. Furthermore, 30% of mice in arsenic and BaP co-exposure group also developed lung adenocarcinomas. Mechanistic studies revealed that arsenic and BaP co-exposure does not produce more BPDE-DNA adducts than BaP exposure alone; but acts synergistically in activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) to up-regulate the expression of a histone H3 lysine 9 methyltransferase SUV39H1 and increase the level of suppressive H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2), which down-regulates the expression of tumor suppressive SOCS3 leading to enhanced activation of Akt and Erk1/2 to promote cell transformation, CSC-like property and tumorigenesis. Together, these findings suggest that arsenic and BaP co-exposure synergizes in causing epigenetic dysregulation to enhance cell transformation, CSC-like property and tumorigenesis.

Unequivocal identification and quantification of PAHs content in ternary synthetic mixtures and in smoked tuna by means of excitation-emission fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with PARAFAC

It is well known that several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), products of incomplete pyrolysis of organic material, have proved to be extremely toxic to humans. Food can be contaminated by these compounds in many different ways and diet represents nowadays the major source of exposure to PAHs for non-smokers population. In the present study, three of the most important carcinogenic PAHs in foods, according to the legislation currently in force, i.e. benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), benzo[a]anthracene (BaA) and chrysene (Chry), were firstly arranged in ternary mixtures, following an experimental design. Then, an organic extraction from a commercial smoked tuna, potentially affected by PAHs, was performed to investigate the presence of the three compounds under study. A spectrofluorimetric method based on the second order calibration of excitation-emission fluorescence matrices (EEMs) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) decomposition was proposed in this work as analytical approach for PAHs detection. Both in the ternary mixtures and in the food matrix (smoked tuna), PAHs were unequivocally identified and quantified with decision limit (CCα) and capability of detection (CCβ) equal to 0.11 µg L−1 and 0.21 µg L−1 for BaP, 0.27 µg L−1 and 0.53 µg L−1 for BaA and 0.18 µg L−1 and 0.35 µg L−1 for Chry, respectively, when the probabilities of false positive (α) and false negative (β) were fixed at 0.05. In the investigated smoked tuna, detectable levels of BaP were found, whereas BaA and Chry were absent.

Enhanced phytoremediation of cadmium and/or benzo(a)pyrene contaminated soil by hyperaccumlator Solanum nigrum L.

ABSTRACTThe role of same amendment on phytoremediating different level contaminated soils is seldom known. Soil pot culture experiment was used to compare the strengthening roles of cysteine (CY), EDTA, salicylic acid (Sa), and Tween 80 (TW) on hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. phytoremediating higher level of single cadmium (Cd) or Benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) and their co-contaminated soils. Results showed that the Cd capacities (ug pot−1) in shoots of S. nigrum in the combined treatment T0.1EDTA+0.9CY were the highest for the 5 and 15 mg kg−1 Cd contaminated soils. When S. nigrum remediating co-contaminated soils with higher levels of Cd and BAP, that is, 5 mg kg−1 Cd + 1 mg kg−1 BAP and 15 mg kg−1 Cd + 2 mg kg−1 BAP, the treatment T0.9CY+0.9Sa+0.3TW showed the best enhancing remediation role. This results were different with co-contaminated soil with 0.771 mg kg−1 Cd + 0.024 mg kg−1 BAP. These results may tell us that the combine used of CY, SA, and TW were more useful for the contaminated soils with higher level of Cd and/or BAP. In the combined treatments of Sa+TW, CY was better than EDTA.

The impact of chemotherapeutic drugs on the CYP1A1-catalysed metabolism of the environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene: Effects in human colorectal HCT116 TP53(+/+), TP53(+/−) and TP53(−/−) cells

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) can induce cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) via a p53-dependent mechanism. The effect of different p53-activating chemotherapeutic drugs on CYP1A1 expression, and the resultant effect on BaP metabolism, was investigated in a panel of isogenic human colorectal HCT116 cells with differing TP53 status. Cells that were TP53(+/+), TP53(+/–) or TP53(–/–) were treated for up to 48 h with 60 μM cisplatin, 50 μM etoposide or 5 μM ellipticine, each of which caused high p53 induction at moderate cytotoxicity (60–80% cell viability). We found that etoposide and ellipticine induced CYP1A1 in TP53(+/+) cells but not in TP53(–/–) cells, demonstrating that the mechanism of CYP1A1 induction is p53-dependent; cisplatin had no such effect. Co-incubation experiments with the drugs and 2.5 μM BaP showed that: (i) etoposide increased CYP1A1 expression in TP53(+/+) cells, and to a lesser extent in TP53(–/–) cells, compared to cells treated with BaP alone; (ii) ellipticine decreased CYP1A1 expression in TP53(+/+) cells in BaP co-incubations; and (iii) cisplatin did not affect BaP-mediated CYP1A1 expression. Further, whereas cisplatin and etoposide had virtually no influence on CYP1A1-catalysed BaP metabolism, ellipticine treatment strongly inhibited BaP bioactivation. Our results indicate that the underlying mechanisms whereby etoposide and ellipticine regulate CYP1A1 expression must be different and may not be linked to p53 activation alone. These results could be relevant for smokers, who are exposed to increased levels of BaP, when prescribing chemotherapeutic drugs. Beside gene-environment interactions, more considerations should be given to potential drug-environment interactions during chemotherapy.

Assessing contamination of smoked sprats (Sprattus sprattus) with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and changes in its level during storage in various types of packaging

ABSTRACTThe analysis of material used in this study demonstrated that the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked sprats varies from the level below the lowest detection limit in muscles up to 9.99 µg kg−1 of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in fish skin. Such a high level of PAHs in skin was reported only in one of six batches of sprats, while mean BaP level was at 1.69 µg kg−1. Regardless such a high BaP level in skin, its concentration in muscles did not exceed the maximum acceptable level. The study objective was to assess to what extent packaging materials adsorb PAH compounds from food. Changes in the PAH levels were monitored in fish during their storage in packages made of various materials. The storage time was from 0 to 168 hours. The obtained results varied considerably, therefore their scatter did not allow to confirm unequivocally the preliminary hypothesis about the reduction of PAHs due to their migration to packaging material. However, analysis of the packaging used in this study demonstrated a significant increase in the level of total 16 PAHs. When high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packaging was analysed, a six-fold increase in the total 16 PAHs was observed comparing to the blank sample.

Levels of 15 + 1 EU Priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Different Edible Oils Available in the Syrian Market

ABSTRACTThe levels of 15 + 1 EU priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (15 + 1 EU PAHs) have been determined in different edible oils (extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and soybean oil) available in the Syrian market. The samples have been prepared by donor–acceptor complex chromatography and subsequently characterized by high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence and ultraviolet detection for quantification purposes. Variable levels of contamination have been found within different kinds of edible oil samples, and only chrysene has been detected in all the studied samples. Moreover, the mean total sum of 15 + 1 EU PAHs has shown variation from 29.8 µg/kg (corn oil) to 63.7 µg/kg (virgin olive oil). A total of 11 samples out of 38 samples (28.9%) have not fulfilled the European Union (EU) food law requirements. Nine samples have exceeded the EU legislation limit of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) (2 µg/kg) and only two samples have exceeded the EU legislation limit of PAH4 (10 µg/kg) and had acceptable level of BaP. Finally, the mean and maximum dietary exposures of PAHs through consumption of edible oils have been estimated.

Characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in food oils in Beijing catering services.

The concentrations and characteristics of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 48 oil samples randomly collected from 30 catering services that employ six cooking methods were quantified via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These 16 PAHs were detected in almost all of the samples. The levels of Σ16PAHs, Σ4PAHs, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and total BaP equivalents (ΣBaPeq) for the six cooking methods exceeded the legal limit. The concentrations of Σ4PAHs were approximately 9.5 to 16.4 times the legal limit proposed by the European Commission (Off J Eur Union 215:4-8, 2011), and the level of BaP exceeded the national standard in China by 4.7- to 10.6-fold, particularly in oil from fried foods. Low molecular weight PAHs (LMW PAHs) were predominant in fried food oil from different catering services and accounted for 94.8% of these oils, and the ΣBaPeq of the high molecular weight PAHs (HMW PAHs) was 11.5-fold higher than that of the LMW PAHs. The concentrations of Σ16PAHs (3751.9-7585.8μg/kg), Σ4PAHs (144.6-195.7μg/kg), BaP (79.7-135.8μg/kg), and ΣBaPeq (231.0-265.4μg/kg) were highest in the samples from fast food restaurants/buffets (FB), followed by those from fried food stalls (FS) and then cooking restaurants/cafeterias (RC). The results of this study suggest that the government should strengthen control and supervision of PAH contamination in food and edible oils.

Effect of benzo[a]pyrene on detoxification and the activity of antioxidant enzymes of marine microalgae

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) on the detoxification and antioxidant systems of two microalgae, Isochrysis zhanjiangensis and Platymonas subcordiformis. In our study, these two algae were exposed to BaP for 4 days at three different concentrations including 0.5 μg L−1 (low), 3 μg L−1 (mid) and 18 μg L−1 (high). The activity of detoxification enzymes, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) increased in P. subcordiformis in all BaP-treated groups. In I. zhanjiangensis, the activity of these two enzymes increased at the beginning of exposure, and then decreased in the groups treated with mid- and high BaP. The activity of antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased in I. zhanjiangensis in all BaP-treated groups, and then decreased in high BaP-treated group, while no significant change was observed in P. subcordiformis. The activity of antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) increased in I. zhanjiangensis and P. subcordiformis in all BaPtreated groups. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in Isochrysis zhanjiangensis increased first, and then decreased in high BaP-treated group, while no change occurred in P. subcordiformis. These results demonstrated that BaP significantly influenced the activity of detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes in microalgae. The metabolic related enzymes (EROD, GST and CAT) may serve as sensitive biomarkers of measuring the contamination level of BaP in marine water.

S119 Analyses of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon in Aerosol of a Lead-zinc Concentrator

Detecting the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) in aerosol, e.g., PM2.5 and PM10, is important for monitoring and possibly improving air quality. To fully understand the concentration distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in aerosol, five sampling locations were selected. A carefully designed experiment was carried out to determine the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in aerosol samples, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) . It is found that the concentration of Benzoapyrene, which has strong carcinogenicity, is 1.03~23.35 ng/m3 and 0.24~18.75 ng/m3 in PM10, PM2.5. The average values were 5.07 ng/m3 and 3.91 ng/m3, indicating a serious concern for the air quality. Such level of Benzoapyrene poses threat to the surrounding environment, especially, to the workers health. Results from this study are important and can be used by decision makers for better monitor.