ABSTRACT
PAHs monitoring is complicated by the mixed aerosol/vapor composition of airborne compounds and by the absorption of these chemicals from inhalation, food ingestion and dermal contact. Human biomonitoring is the most appropriate tool to estimate the total internal dose of PAHs (Adetona et al., 2015; Leroyer et al., 2010). Urinary hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) are suitable biomarkers of exposure to PAHs (Oliveira et al., 2015). Pyrene is one of the most abundant
1 INTRODUCTION
Every year Portugal is among the most affected European countries by forest fires (JRC, 2015). In 2014, a total of 7067 fires occurred in national lands and forests, the northern and central regions of the country being the most affected areas (JRC, 2015). Surprisingly scarce studies are available in Europe concerning the occupational exposure of firemen (Barboni et al., 2010; Laitinen et al., 2010, 2012; Leyenda et al., 2010; Miranda et al., 2010, 2012; Oliveira et al., 2015, 2016a, b). The pollutants that have been under scrutiny by those reports are predominantly particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and some volatile organic compounds.
