Urinary Level of Dimethoate, Bisphenol a and Benzo[a]pyrene in the First-year Students of Hohai University From Different Geographical Regions

Background: The objective of this study was to detect the urinary level of dimethoate, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), and bisphenol A (BPA) in the first-year Hohai University students of different geographic origins. Methods: First-morning urine samples were collected from 540 healthy freshmen aged 17 to 19. Toxin levels were measured using β-glucuronidase hydrolysis followed by a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based method. Geometric means (GM) are presented by BMI (Body Mass Index) and different locations for these three toxins in a volume-based and creatinine-standardized way. Results: GM concentration of dimethoate, BPA and BaP were 9.47 µg/L (10.80 µg/g creatinine), 3.54 µg/L (4.04 µg/g creatinine) and 0.34 ng/L (0.39 ng/g creatinine), respectively. The GM concentration of dimethoate in males was significantly higher than that in females. The BMI higher than 23.9 had a higher GM concentration of dimethoate, BPA, and BaP. The inhabitant in the Southwest of China had a significantly lower GM concentration of dimethoate, BPA, and BaP than those who live in other locations of China. Conclusion: The average level of environmental toxins accumulation in freshmen is relatively high and differs in the youth who live in different regions. Besides, obesity is correlated to higher toxins levels in youth.