At a glance
| Chemical family | PAHs / Biomarker |
| CAS number | 5315-79-7 |
| IARC classification | Not classified (IARC) |
| Capture class | Out of scope (metabolite, not environmental) |
| Evidence strength | Strong |
| Primary audience | Firefighters · Occupational populations |
Regulatory & certification status
Where 1-Hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) stands across the major regulatory systems and the certifications a bedroom product might carry. Each row links to the governing instrument; where a jurisdiction has no specific measure, that is stated plainly rather than left blank.
| European Union | 1-Hydroxypyrene has no REACH SVHC (Candidate List), Authorisation List (Annex XIV) or restriction (Annex XVII) entry, and no harmonised CLP classification (Annex VI). The only CLP data is industry self-classification in ECHA's notified C&L inventory (as surfaced on PubChem: aggregated from 40 reports across 3 notifications, giving skin/eye/respiratory irritation H315/H319/H335), which is not a legally binding harmonised classification. As the hydroxy metabolite of pyrene it is not named in the EU POPs Regulation (EU) 2019/1021, which addresses certain parent PAHs (the benzo[a]pyrene-type indicators, via release-reduction provisions) rather than this urinary biomarker. Regulatory — PubChem CID 21387 · EUR-Lex |
| United States | 1-Hydroxypyrene is not on the California Proposition 65 list (verified against the OEHHA list; the listed pyrene-related entries are benzo[a]pyrene and the nitro-/dinitro-pyrenes and dinitrofluoranthenes, not this hydroxy metabolite). No specific federal TSCA risk evaluation or other regulatory action targeting 1-hydroxypyrene was identified. Regulatory — OEHHA · US EPA |
| Canada | No specific Canadian regulation of 1-hydroxypyrene was identified: it is not named on CEPA Schedule 1, and no final or draft Chemicals Management Plan assessment of this metabolite was found. (Certain parent PAHs are addressed under the CMP, but not this biomarker.) Regulatory — Canada |
| Australia | No specific AICIS/IChEMS restriction on 1-hydroxypyrene was identified; the public AICIS Inventory search returned no confirmable listing for CAS 5315-79-7, and no IChEMS Register risk decision for this compound was found. Regulatory — AICIS |
| United Kingdom | No UK-specific restriction was identified: 1-hydroxypyrene is not on the UK REACH SVHC candidate list, and no GB CLP mandatory-classification entry was found. GB largely mirrors the inherited EU position, under which this compound carries no harmonised classification or restriction. Regulatory — HSE |
| International | 1-Hydroxypyrene has not been classified by IARC: the IARC PAH monograph treats it only as a urinary biomarker of occupational PAH exposure, not as a separately evaluated agent. The parent compound pyrene is IARC Group 3 (not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans; Suppl. 7 / Vol. 92). 1-Hydroxypyrene is not listed under the Stockholm Convention on POPs (verified against the Annex A/B/C lists, which cover synthetic persistent organics, not PAH metabolites). Regulatory — IARC Monograph (Vol. 100F · Stockholm Convention |
| Certifications | None of these certifications address 1-hydroxypyrene by name: it is a urinary biomarker of PAH exposure, not a foam ingredient, textile finish, or emitted VOC. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 sets limit values on parent PAHs (e.g. benzo[a]pyrene individually and a sum-of-PAHs limit), but not on this metabolite. CertiPUR-US's published criteria target ozone depleters, certain flame retardants (e.g. PBDEs, TDCPP, TCEP), heavy metals, formaldehyde, regulated phthalates, and low VOC emissions, and do not single out PAHs or this compound. GREENGUARD/GREENGUARD Gold is a low-VOC chemical-emissions certification (UL 2818 / CDPH Section 01350) that would not screen for a non-volatile compound like this. Industry — CertiPUR-US · OEKO-TEX |
| The 72-hour test window | Largely irrelevant to a 72-hour chamber test. 1-Hydroxypyrene is a non-volatile, solid PAH metabolite (melting point ~180 C) formed in the human body, not a material off-gas, so a short VOC emissions test neither targets nor captures it; PAH exposure in a product context is assessed by extractable parent-PAH content, not chamber VOC testing. Inferred — from the compound's volatility/emission profile versus the VOC focus of short chamber tests |
What it is
1-Hydroxypyrene — 1-OHP, CAS 5315-79-7 — is the principal urinary metabolite of pyrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). In the body, pyrene is metabolized by liver enzymes to produce 1-OHP, which is then excreted in urine. 1-OHP is the most widely used biomarker for measuring PAH exposure in occupational and environmental health research.
Why it's relevant to the Atlas
Like NNAL for tobacco-specific nitrosamines, 1-OHP is not an environmental compound that accumulates on bedding — it's a biomarker that documents actual absorbed dose. The compound is included in the Atlas because peer-reviewed firefighter cancer research routinely uses urinary 1-OHP to measure occupational PAH exposure and to evaluate the effectiveness of decontamination protocols. Peer-reviewed — Fent et al. 2017, J Occup Environ Hyg
Why it matters for sleep environments
1-OHP levels rise measurably in firefighters' urine after fire-suppression work, with elevations persisting for hours to days. ACGIH has established a Biological Exposure Index (BEI) for 1-OHP. Peer-reviewed The Atlas includes 1-OHP because it provides the proof-of-exposure link between PAH-contaminated firefighter gear (and any contamination transferred to bedding) and actual absorbed dose. For non-occupational populations, 1-OHP measurements characterize PAH exposure from ambient air, traffic, cooking smoke, and other sources — providing context for how much of total exposure is occupational versus environmental.
Related compounds
This is a preview of an Atlas entry under development. Last reviewed 2026-05-19. If you find a factual error, contact us.