Neurobehavioral performance of PAH exposure in male coal miners in Shanxi, China: a cross-sectional study

Objective Coal miners are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of neurotoxicants formed and released during incomplete combustion of coal. High levels of anxiety and depression have been reported in coal miners, but little is known about neurobehavioral functions in populations that are occupationally exposed to PAHs. We tested neurobehavioral performance in coal miners and correlated it with levels of urinary markers of PAH exposure. Methods Levels of urinary PAH metabolites were measured in 652 male coal miners as an indicator of exposure. Subjects were divided into a high-exposure group and a low-exposure group based on the median level of total PAH metabolites. A neurobehavioral core test battery and a questionnaire were used to assess neurobehavioral performance and collect demographic information, respectively. Results The median level of total PAH metabolites in urine was 4.88 μmol/mol creatinine. Highly exposed workers exhibited more fatigue-inertia than less-exposed workers ( p