Air sampling and determination of vapours and aerosols of bitumen and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Human Bitumen Study

Abstract

The chemical complexity of emissions from bitumen applications is a challenge in the assessment of exposure. Personal sampling of vapours and aerosols of bitumen was organized in 320 bitumen-exposed workers and 69 non-exposed construction workers during 2001-2008. Area sampling was conducted at 44 construction sites. Area and personal sampling of vapours and aerosols of bitumen showed similar concentrations between 5 and 10 mg/m(3), while area sampling yielded higher concentrations above the former occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 10 mg/m(3). The median concentration of personal bitumen exposure was 3.46 mg/m(3) (inter-quartile range 1.80-5.90 mg/m(3)). Only few workers were exposed above the former OEL. The specificity of the method measuring C-H stretch vibration is limited. This accounts for a median background level of 0.20 mg/m³ in non-exposed workers which is likely due to ubiquitous aliphatic hydrocarbons. Further, area measurements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were taken at 25 construction sites. U.S. EPA PAHs were determined with GC/MS, with the result of a median concentration of 2.47 μg/m(3) at 15 mastic asphalt worksites associated with vapours and aerosols of bitumen, with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.45 (95% CI -0.13 to 0.78). PAH exposure at mastic-asphalt works was higher than at reference worksites (median 0.21 μg/m(3)), but about one order of magnitude lower compared to coke-oven works. For a comparison of concentrations of vapours and aerosols of bitumen and PAHs in asphalt works, differences in sampling and analytical methods must to be taken into account.

Short-term markers of DNA damage among roofers who work with hot asphalt

“…Urinary metabolites of PAHs, particularly urinary 1-OHPyr, are established biomarkers of occupational exposures. Overall, levels of PAH exposures in this study were lower than previous reports in asphalt exposed workers [ 71 , 72 ]. While naphthalene metabolites were comparable to levels observed in our prior work with roofers, post-shift levels of urinary 1-OHPyr were much lower in the current study [ 38 ].…”

Exposure to Inhalable, Respirable, and Ultrafine Particles in Welding Fume

“…Personal sampling of inhalable particles was performed with the German sampler GSP 3.5, which is equipped with a cellulose nitrate filter with a pore size of 8 μm and a diameter of 37 mm and operates at a flow rate of 3.5 l min −1 . The GSP sampler is commonly applied in monitoring exposure to particles on behalf of the German Social Accident Insurance ( Breuer et al , 2011 ). For the personal collection of respirable particles, a PGP-EA sampler was applied with a similar cellulose nitrate filter and flow rate, where a polyurethane filter preselected particles larger than respirable ( Moehlmann, 2006 ).The average duration of personal measurements was 3.5 h, ranging from 2 to 5 h. Both samplers comply with EN 481 respectively International Organization for Standardization (ISO 7708) ( CEN, 1993 ).…”

Levels and predictors of airborne and internal exposure to manganese and iron among welders

“…One sampler (PGP-EA) collected respirable welding fume, and the second sampler (GSP) collected inhalable particles. 20 The filters were shipped to the central laboratory at IFA for gravimetric and metal analysis. Before weighing, the unloaded and particle-loaded collection media were conditioned for at least 1 day in the laboratory atmosphere.…”