TY - JOUR
T1 - External Quality Assurance Schemes (EQUASs) and Inter-laboratory Comparison Investigations (ICIs) for human biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) biomarkers in urine as part of the quality assurance programme under HBM4EU
AU - Nübler, Stefanie
AU - Esteban López, Marta
AU - Castaño, Argelia
AU - Mol, Hans G.J.
AU - Müller, Johannes
AU - Schäfer, Moritz
AU - Haji-Abbas-Zarrabi, Karin
AU - Hajslova, Jana
AU - Pulkrabova, Jana
AU - Dvorakova, Darina
AU - Urbancova, Katerina
AU - Koch, Holger M.
AU - Antignac, Jean Philippe
AU - Sakhi, Amrit Kaur
AU - Vorkamp, Katrin
AU - Burkhardt, Therese
AU - Scherer, Max
AU - Göen, Thomas
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were included as priority substances for human biomonitoring (HBM) in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU), which intended to harmonise and advance HBM across Europe. For this project, a specific Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) programme applying Inter-laboratory Comparison Investigations (ICIs) and External Quality Assurance Schemes (EQUASs) was developed to ensure the comparability and accuracy of participating analytical laboratories. This paper presents the results of four ICI/EQUAS rounds for the determination of 13 PAH metabolites in urine, i.e. 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, 2-, 3- and 9-hydroxyfluorene, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 9-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene. However, 4 PAH metabolites could not be evaluated as the analytical capacity of participating laboratories was too low. Across all rounds and biomarkers, 86% of the participants achieved satisfactory results, although low limits of quantification were required to quantify the urinary metabolites at exposure levels of the general population. Using high-performance liquid or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS; GC-MS) and isotope dilution for calibration as well as performing an enzymatic deconjugation step proved to be favourable for the accurate determination of PAHs in urine. Finally, the HBM4EU QA/QC programme identified an international network of laboratories providing comparable results in the analysis of urinary PAH biomarkers, although covering all parameters initially selected was still too challenging.
AB - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were included as priority substances for human biomonitoring (HBM) in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU), which intended to harmonise and advance HBM across Europe. For this project, a specific Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) programme applying Inter-laboratory Comparison Investigations (ICIs) and External Quality Assurance Schemes (EQUASs) was developed to ensure the comparability and accuracy of participating analytical laboratories. This paper presents the results of four ICI/EQUAS rounds for the determination of 13 PAH metabolites in urine, i.e. 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, 2-, 3- and 9-hydroxyfluorene, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 9-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene. However, 4 PAH metabolites could not be evaluated as the analytical capacity of participating laboratories was too low. Across all rounds and biomarkers, 86% of the participants achieved satisfactory results, although low limits of quantification were required to quantify the urinary metabolites at exposure levels of the general population. Using high-performance liquid or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS; GC-MS) and isotope dilution for calibration as well as performing an enzymatic deconjugation step proved to be favourable for the accurate determination of PAHs in urine. Finally, the HBM4EU QA/QC programme identified an international network of laboratories providing comparable results in the analysis of urinary PAH biomarkers, although covering all parameters initially selected was still too challenging.
KW - 1-Hydroxypyrene
KW - Analytical method
KW - HBM4EU
KW - Human biomonitoring
KW - Quality control
KW - Z-score
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85152911552&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114169
DO - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114169
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37099846
AN - SCOPUS:85152911552
SN - 1438-4639
VL - 250
JO - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
JF - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
M1 - 114169
ER -