[5] Exposure to this aryl-amine can happen through contact with chemical dyes and from inhalation of cigarette smoke.

[10] During this process reactive oxygen species might also be produced and lead to oxidative DNA damage which might also play a role in the carcinogenesis.

N-Acetylated products are difficult to oxidize and because of this acetylation is considered a detoxification step for aromatic amines.

[citation needed] Glucuronidation also represents a major metabolic pathway for carcinogenic aromatic amines.

The N-hydroxy aryl amine N-glucuronide conjugate is thought to be excreted from the liver and to build up in the bladder lumen.

N-glucuronides of 4-aminobiphenyl and N-hydroxy-4-aminobiphenyl can be hydrolyzed by acidic urine to their corresponding arylamines, they can in turn enter the bladder epithelium and undergo further metabolism by peroxidation and/or O-acetylation to form DNA adducts.

[13] Excessive inhalation exposure of 4-aminobiphenyl may induce acute toxicity such as headache, lethargy, cyanosis and burning sensations mainly in the urinary tract.

[14] 4-Aminobiphenyl is a human carcinogen, specifically to the tissues involving the urinary system, i.e., the bladder, ureter, and renal pelvis.

Levels of these adducts in smokers of blond and black tobacco were found to be proportional to bladder cancer risk.