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

OBJECTIVES: 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. DESIGN: Our study is a cross-sectional dose–response study. SETTING: Participants in this study came from a coke plant in Taiyuan, Shanxi. PARTICIPANTS: We used data of 693 coke oven workers in Taiyuan. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: 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. RESULTS: 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). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study could provide evidence for coke oven workers to prevent cardiovascular disease by checking whether plasma viscosity is elevated.