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Occupational polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure is associated with accelerated aging trajectories in Chinese coke oven workers
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  • Published: 31 January 2026

Occupational polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure is associated with accelerated aging trajectories in Chinese coke oven workers

  • Yidong Wang1 na1,
  • Shuangxi Geng1 na1,
  • Wenyu Wang1 na1,
  • Lijun Yuan1,
  • Jisheng Nie1,
  • Huifang Zhang1,
  • Baolong Pan1,2 &
  • …
  • Qiao Niu1 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Biomarkers
  • Environmental sciences
  • Health care
  • Medical research
  • Risk factors

Abstract

Long-term effects of occupational polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on biological aging are unclear. A prospective cohort study was conducted from 2019 to 2023, involving 610 coke oven workers and 454 control workers from a water treatment plant. Biological age was calculated using the Klemera and Doubal method (KDM-BA) based on 12 clinical biomarkers, and aging acceleration (KDM-Accel) was derived. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was employed to identify distinct aging trajectories over five time points. The associations between eleven urinary mono-hydroxylated PAH metabolites (measured via HPLC-MS) and both KDM-Accel and aging trajectories were assessed using multiple linear regression and multivariable logistic regression, respectively. GBTM identified three distinct aging trajectories: slow aging (14.86%), moderately accelerated aging (59.14%), and rapidly accelerated aging (26%). Higher concentrations of urinary Σ-OHPAHs (sum of all metabolites), 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPyr), and 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OHPhe) were significantly associated with increased KDM-Accel. A natural log-unit increase in Σ-OHPAHs and 1-OHPyr was associated with a 0.029-year and 0.028-year increase in KDM-Accel, respectively. Workers in the highest tertile (T3) of Σ-OHPAHs exposure had a 61.2% increased odds (OR = 1.612, 95% CI 1.093–2.376) of being in the rapidly accelerated aging trajectory compared to those in the lowest tertile (T1). Similar positive dose-response relationships were observed. Occupational exposure to PAHs, as specifically indicated by elevated levels of urinaryΣ-OHPAHs, 1-OHPyr, and 2-OHPhe, is correlated with accelerated biological aging and a heightened probability of a rapid aging trajectory. Therefore, enhanced protection measures and early intervention strategies are necessary.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants. The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the participants and General Hospital of Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd., who assisted with the sample collection and Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Funding

This study has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82073526 and No.81673143).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Yidong Wang, Shuangxi Geng and Wenyu Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Coal Environmental Pathogenicity and Prevention, NHC Key Laboratory of Pneumoconiosis, Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impairment and Prevention, Shanxi Medical University, Xinjiannan Road 56, Taiyuan City, 030001, Shanxi Province, China

    Yidong Wang, Shuangxi Geng, Wenyu Wang, Lijun Yuan, Jisheng Nie, Huifang Zhang, Baolong Pan & Qiao Niu

  2. General Hospital of Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd, Taiyuan, China

    Baolong Pan

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Contributions

WYD and NJS conceptualized the research question. GSX, WWY and YLJ acquired the data.WYD and GSX performed all the analyses and visualized the results. WYD drafted the manuscript.GSX, ZHF, PBL and NJS helped with the interpretation and provided critical review. NJS, and NQ supervised all aspects of the project. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jisheng Nie.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Shanxi Medical University (Approval No. 2020GLL037). Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Wang, Y., Geng, S., Wang, W. et al. Occupational polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure is associated with accelerated aging trajectories in Chinese coke oven workers. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36579-y

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  • Received: 25 October 2025

  • Accepted: 14 January 2026

  • Published: 31 January 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36579-y

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Keywords

  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
  • Occupational exposure
  • Biological age
  • Aging trajectory
  • Prospective cohort study
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