Airborne concentrations of benzene for dock workers at the ExxonMobil refinery and chemical plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (1977–2005)

Widner, T.E.; Gaffney, Shannon H.; Panko, Julie M.; Unice, Kenneth M.; Burns, Amanda M.; Kreider, Marisa L.; Marshall, J.; Booher, Lindsay E.; Gelat, Richard H; Paustenbach, Dennis J.

doi:10.5271/sjweh.3128

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, outdoor process technicians working in the process areas at Refinery 1 had a lower exposure compared with process technicians working in the harbour and the tank park (9.6 versus 74.5 µg/m 3 , borderline statistically significant), probably related to more handling of open product streams in the harbour and tank park. Higher benzene exposures have previously been found among workers in the oil harbour (Akerstrom et al 2016 ; Gaffney et al 2010 ; Widner et al 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…The single measurement exceeding the OEL for benzene (3800 µg/m 3 ) was taken during work in the harbour and, according to the process technician, the vapour recovery unit was suspected of not working properly. Higher benzene exposures have previously been found among workers in the oil harbour (Akerstrom et al 2016 ; Gaffney et al 2010 ; Widner et al 2011 ). Other identified work tasks associated with a benzene exposure close to, or exceeding, the project-specific guideline limit for benzene (300 µg/m 3 ) were drainage activities, especially in the tank farm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Low personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene in the Swedish petroleum refinery industry

Almerud

Åkerström

Andersson

et al. 2017

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposePetroleum refinery workers are exposed to the carcinogens benzene and 1,3-butadiene. Declining exposures have been reported internationally but information on current exposure in the Swedish refinery industry is limited. The aim was to examine refinery workers’ personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene and increase awareness of exposure conditions by collaboration with involved refineries.MethodsAltogether 505 repeated personal exposure measurements were performed among workers at two refineries. Full-shift measurements were conducted in different exposure groups using Perkin Elmer diffusive samplers filled with Carbopack X. Mean levels were calculated using mixed-effects models. A large fraction of measurements below the limit of detection (LOD) required imputation of computer-generated data.ResultsMean benzene exposure among process technicians was 15.3 µg/m3 (95% CI 10.4–22.5 µg/m3) and 13.7 µg/m3 (95% CI 8.3–22.7 µg/m3) for Refinery 1 and 2, respectively. Process technicians working outdoors had higher exposure than maintenance workers (20.7 versus 5.9 µg/m3, p < 0.01). Working in the harbour and tank park (Refinery 1), compared with the process area, was associated with higher exposure. The 1,3-butadiene exposure was low, 5.4 and 1.8 µg/m3, respectively. The total variation was generally attributed to within-worker variability.ConclusionsLow benzene and 1,3-butadiene levels were found among refinery workers. Mean benzene exposure was about 1% of the Swedish occupational limit (1500 µg/m3) and for 1,3-butadiene, exposure was even lower. A large fraction of values below the LOD can be managed by carefully modelled, computer-generated data.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Low personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene in the Swedish petroleum refinery industry

Almerud

Åkerström

Andersson

et al. 2017

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the data are scarce, the exposure to benzene is generally higher during a turnaround compared to normal production (Capleton and Levy 2005 ; Gaffney et al 2011 ; Kreider et al 2010 ). When the personal benzene exposure at a refinery is being measured, the exposures are highly dependent on the benzene concentration in the product streams (Chung et al 2010 ; Gaffney et al 2010 ; Kreider et al 2010 ; Widner et al 2011 ; Williams et al 2005 ), which makes it difficult to interpret and compare different studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene during petroleum refinery turnarounds and work in the oil harbour

Åkerström

Almerud

Andersson

et al. 2016

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposePetroleum refinery workers’ exposure to the carcinogens benzene and 1,3-butadiene has decreased during normal operations. However, certain occupational groups or events at the refineries still involve a risk of higher exposures. The aim of this study was to examine the personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene at refinery turnarounds and during work in the oil harbour.MethodsPersonal exposure measurements of benzene and 1,3-butadiene were taken during work shifts, with a priori assumed higher benzene exposure, using PerkinElmer diffusive samplers filled with Carbopack X. Mean exposure levels were calculated, and repeated exposure measurements, when available, were assessed using mixed effect models. Group and individual compliance with the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) was tested for the different exposure groups.ResultsMean benzene exposure levels for refinery workers during the three measured turnarounds were 150, 610 and 960 µg/m3, and mean exposures for oil harbour workers and sewage tanker drivers were 310 and 360 µg/m3, respectively. Higher exposures were associated with handling benzene-rich products. Most occupational groups did not comply with the Swedish OEL for benzene nor did the individuals within the groups. The exposure to 1,3-butadiene was very low, between <1 and 3 % of the Swedish OEL.ConclusionsWork within the petroleum refinery industry, with potential exposure to open product streams containing higher fractions of benzene, pose a risk of personal benzene exposures exceeding the OEL. Refinery workers performing these work tasks frequently, such as contractors, sewage tanker drivers and oil harbour workers, need to be identified and protected.

show abstract

“…However, a study in which age was the main factor associated 18 , shows that the worst demand workload is mental, identified by younger workers in a railway company. Because of these results, it defends the idea that there is a need to understand the relationships and workloads at all ages, but it is necessary to pay attention to young people, because of the lack of social support 18 for this age group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multiplying the load score for each demand by the number of times it has been indicated as important by the worker is a result which, added and divided by 15, indicates the overall workload in percentage 1 . Although the questionnaire for verification is subjective, it is widely used 2 , 4 , 7 , 18 , demonstrating that it is valid and reliable to measure the workload through the overall workload and the different demands that compose it.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workload and associated factors: a study in maritime port in Brazil

Cézar-Vaz

Bonow

Almeida

et al. 2016

Rev. Latino-Am. Enfermagem

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective:to identify the effect of the mental, physical, temporal, performance, total effort and frustration demands in the overall workload, and in the same way analyze the global burden of port labor and associated factors that contribute most to their decrease or increase. Method:a cross-sectional, quantitative study, developed with 232 dock workers. For data collection, a structured questionnaire with descriptive, occupational, smoking and illicit drug use variables was applied, as well as variables on the load on the tasks undertaken at work, based on the questionnaire NASA Task Load Index. For data analysis, we used the analysis of the Poisson regression model. Results:the demands physical demand and total effort showed greater effect on the overall workload, indicating high overall load on port work (134 employees - 58.8%). The following remained associated statistically with high levels of workload: age (p = 0.044), to be employee of the wharfage (p = 0.006), work only at night (p = 0.025), smoking (p = 0.037) and use of illegal drugs (p = 0.029). Conclusion:the workload in this type of activity was high, and the professional category and work shift the factors that contributed to the increase, while the age proved to be a factor associated with a decrease.

show abstract

Airborne concentrations of benzene for dock workers at the ExxonMobil refinery and chemical plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA (1977–2005)

Cited by 7 publications

References 33 publications

Low personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene in the Swedish petroleum refinery industry

Low personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene in the Swedish petroleum refinery industry

Personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene during petroleum refinery turnarounds and work in the oil harbour

Workload and associated factors: a study in maritime port in Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About