Comparative study of oxidative stress biomarkers in urine of cooks exposed to three types of cooking-related particles

•Higher UFP, PM2.5 and PAHs exposure in cookers.•Urinary 1-OHP, MDA and 8-OHdG reflect COFs exposure.•RFO may cause increased oxidative DNA damage.•RWO may cause increased lipid peroxidation. To evaluate how exposure to deep-frying oils, repeated frying oil (RFO) and restaurant waste oil (RWO) affects emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxidative stress in male restaurant workers. The study participants included 236 male restaurant workers in 12 restaurants in Shenzhen. Airborne particulate PAHs were measured over 12h on each of two consecutive work days. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) measurements were used to indicate cooking oil fumes (COF) exposure, and urinary malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were adopted as oxidative stress markers. The production and emission rates of ultrafine particles (UFPs) and PM2.5 were higher in the exposed groups than in the control group. The concentrations of summed PAHs were in the order of RFO-frying group>RWO-frying group>deep-frying group>unexposed control group. Urinary 1-OHP was found to be a significant predictor of elevated urinary MDA and 8-OHdG concentrations (all, P