Dose-response relationship between urinary PAH metabolites and blood viscosity among coke oven workers: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been proven to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in coke oven workers, and increased plasma viscosity is a signal for higher risk of catching up cardiovascular disease. We want to explore whether the plasma viscosity is affected by the concentration of PAHs. Our study is a cross-sectional dose-response study. Participants in this study came from a coke plant in Taiyuan, Shanxi. We used data of 693 coke oven workers in Taiyuan. We assumed that plasma viscosity would increase as the concentration of PAHs metabolites in urine increases. We found that 2-hydroxyfluorene (OHFLU2) and plasma viscosity have a stable linear relationship in different statistical methods. We found that plasma viscosity increased by 1.14 (mPa.s,30/s) for each ng/mL of 2-OHFLU urinary (correlation coefficient range: 0.54-1.74, p<0.05). The results of this study could provide evidence for coke oven workers to prevent cardiovascular disease by checking whether plasma viscosity is elevated.