Road pavers' occupational exposure to asphalt containing waste plastic and tall oil pitch.
Waste plastic (WP) and tall oil pitch (T), which are organic recycled industrial by-products, have been used as a binder with bitumen in stone mastic asphalt (SMA) and asphalt concrete (AC). We compared the exposure over one workday in 16 road pavers participating in a survey at four paving sites, using mixes of conventional asphalt (SMA, AC) or mixes containing waste material (SMA-WPT, AC-WPT). The concentrations of 11 aldehydes in air were 515 and 902 microg m(-3) at the SMA-WPT and AC-WPT worksites, being 3 and 13 times greater than at the corresponding worksites laying conventional asphalt. Resin acids (2-42 microg m(-3)), which are known sensitizers, were detected only during laying of AC-WPT. The emission levels (microg m(-3)) of total particulates (300-500), bitumen fumes (60-160), bitumen vapour (80-1120), naphthalene (0.59-1.2), phenanthrene (0.21-0.32), pyrene (<0.015-0.20), benzo(a)pyrene (<0.01) and the sum of 16 PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 1.28-2.00) were similar for conventional and WPT asphalts. The dermal deposition of 16 PAHs on exposure pads (on workers' wrist) was low in all pavers (0.7-3.5 ng cm(-2)). Eight OH-PAH biomarkers of naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene exposures were quantified in pre- and post-shift urine specimens. The post-shift concentrations (mean +/- SD, micromol mol(-1) creatinine) of 1- plus 2-naphthol; 1-,2-,3-,4- plus 9-phenanthrol; and 1-hydroxypyrene were, respectively, for asphalt workers: 18.1+/- 8.0, 2.41 +/- 0.71 and 0.66+/- 0.58 (smokers); 6.0+/- 2.3, 1.70+/- 0.72 and 0.27+/- 0.15 (non-smokers); WPT asphalt workers: 22.0+/- 9.2, 2.82+/- 1.11 and 0.76+/- 0.18 (smokers); 6.8+/- 2.6, 2.35+/- 0.69 and 0.46+/- 0.13 (non-smokers). The work-related uptake of PAHs was low in all pavers, although it was significantly greater in smokers than in non-smokers. The WPT asphalt workers complained of eye irritation and sore throat more than the pavers who had a much lower exposure to aldehydes and resin acids.
Väänänen
Virpi
V
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 aA, FI-00250, Helsinki, Finland. virpi.vaananen@ttl.fi
Elovaara
Eivor
E
Nykyri
Erkki
E
Santonen
Tiina
T
Heikkilä
Pirjo
P
D000096:Acetone / Q000032:analysis; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D007220:Industrial Waste; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D010938:Plant Oils; D010969:Plastics; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine; D012116:Resins, Plant / Q000737:chemistry; D012867:Skin
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D000447:Aldehydes; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010938:Plant Oils; D010969:Plastics; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012116:Resins, Plant; C456879:mastic asphalt; D000096:Acetone; C482568:tall oil; C006647:asphalt; C013893:rosin