Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent environmental pollutants with well-documented associations to adverse health effects, posing significant public health challenges across Europe. Human exposure to 13 urinary PAH metabolites was assessed in a harmonized cohort of European adults aged 20-39, representing diverse geographic regions across Europe: North (Iceland and Denmark), East (Poland and the Czech Republic), South (Croatia and Portugal), and West (France, Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg). This study aimed to achieve a unified understanding of PAH exposure by employing stringent participant selection criteria and harmonizing biomarker analyses by utilizing high-quality analytical protocols across multiple laboratories in Europe. Key findings revealed consistently elevated metabolite levels in smokers compared to non-smokers, with naphthalene metabolites dominating the profiles over phenanthrene and fluorene derivatives. Country-specific analyses highlighted Poland as having the highest naphthalene metabolite concentrations, while Luxembourg exhibited elevated pyrene metabolite levels. Urbanization influenced exposure, with slightly higher metabolite concentrations in town populations compared to rural areas. While sex-based stratification revealed no marked differences, gender emerged as a significant covariate in regression models, with women generally displaying higher exposure to naphthalene metabolites. Educational level further stratified exposure, with lower education correlating with increased PAH levels. Multivariate linear regression identified key exposure factors, including sampling season (i.e., summer, winter, autumn, and spring), dietary habits e.g., smoked foods, and proximity to smoke-prone environments. This dataset provides a significant baseline for evaluating the European Commission's Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) and underscores the utility of harmonized human biomonitoring studies in informing targeted public health interventions.

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Department of Chemical Engineering Environmental Engineering Laboratory University Campus Thessaloniki 54124 Greece; HERACLES Research Center on the Exposome and Health Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation Balkan Center Bldg B 10th km Thessaloniki Thermi Road 57001 Greece

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Department of Chemical Engineering Environmental Engineering Laboratory University Campus Thessaloniki 54124 Greece; HERACLES Research Center on the Exposome and Health Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation Balkan Center Bldg B 10th km Thessaloniki Thermi Road 57001 Greece; EnvE 10 K Palama 11 Thessaloniki Greece; National Hellenic Research Foundation Athens Greece

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Department of Chemical Engineering Environmental Engineering Laboratory University Campus Thessaloniki 54124 Greece; HERACLES Research Center on the Exposome and Health Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation Balkan Center Bldg B 10th km Thessaloniki Thermi Road 57001 Greece; School for Advanced Study Science Technology and Society Department Environmental Health Engineering Piazza della Vittoria 15 Pavia 27100 Italy; EnvE 10 K Palama 11 Thessaloniki Greece; National Hellenic Research Foundation Athens Greece

Croatian Institute of Public Health Division for Environmental Health Rockefellerova 7 10000 Zagreb Croatia; Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka Department of Social Medicine and Epidemiology Brace Branchetta 20 1 51 000 Rijeka Croatia

Department Health Protection Laboratoire national de santé 1 Rue Louis Rech L 3555 Dudelange Luxembourg

Department of Environmental and Biological Monitoring Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine Lodz Poland

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Santé publique France 12 rue du Val d'Osne 94415 Saint Maurice Cedex France

Department of Epidemiology National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge Avenida Padre Cruz 1649 016 Lisbon Portugal

Department of Growth and Reproduction Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet Copenhagen Denmark; International Research Center for Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health Denmark

Department of Growth and Reproduction Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet Copenhagen Denmark; International Research Center for Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine University of Copenhagen Denmark

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology University of Iceland Reykjavík Iceland

Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition University of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland

German Environment Agency Corrensplatz 1 14195 Berlin Germany

Luxembourg Institute of Health Luxembourg

National Centre for Environmental Health Instituto de Salud Carlos 3 Ctra Majadahonda Pozuelo Km 2 28220 Madrid Spain

RECETOX Faculty of Science Masaryk University Kotlarska 2 611 37 Brno Czech Republic

UKHSA UK Health Security Agency Harwell Science Park Chilton OX11 0RQ United Kingdom

University of Basel Basel Switzerland; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute Allschwil Switzerland

VITO Health Flemish Institute for Technological Research 2400 Mol Belgium

VITO Health Flemish Institute for Technological Research 2400 Mol Belgium; University of Antwerp Dept of Biomedical Sciences and Toxicological Centre 2600 Wilrijk Belgium

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