title: Occupational exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at a coke plant.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to assess the external exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of coke-oven workers and by-product workers at a coke plant in Poland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The content of benzene, toluene, xylene, and naphthalene in a gaseous phase and the content of dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, benz[a]anthracene, anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benz[ghi]perylene, chrysene, and indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene in a particulate phase of coke plant workers were measured in the workers mentioned above. A toxic equivalency factor BaP(eq) was used to estimate human health risk associated with respiratory exposure to PAHs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time-weighted values of the exposure to AHs in the coke plant were as follows: benzene (range 0.01-2.71 mg m(-3)), toluene (0.01-1.73 mg m(-3)), xylene (0.01-0.78 mg m(-3)), naphthalene (6.0-6079 μg m(-3)), and the concentrations of hydrocarbons did not exceed the exposure limits. The results for particle-bound PAHs were equal to 1.96 μg m(-3) for B(a)P, 0.73 μg m(-3) for DBA, 3.23 μg m(-3) for BaA, 4.35 μg m(-3) for BbF, 3.02 μg m(-3) for BkF, 4.54 μg m(-3) for IND, 4.32 μg m(-3) for CHR, and 0.73 μg m(-3) for Ant. The results of personal air measurements (median values of the sum of nine carcinogenic PAHs) were 2.115 μg m(-3) (coke-oven workers, n = 207), 0.326 μg m(-3) (coke by-product workers, n = 33), and 0.653 μg m(-3) (total area workers, n = 38). The benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentrations (BaP(eq)) of 10 PAHs were 1.33, 0.183, and 0.284 μg m(-3), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found out that coke plant workers are simultaneously exposed to a mixture of aromatic and polycyclic hydrocarbons present in the breathing zone air. Exposure levels are significantly influenced by job categories. Coke by-product workers are significantly more exposed to benzene, toluene, and xylene and less to PAHs. Coke-oven workers are mainly exposed to PAHs. Coke-oven workplaces (top side, coke side, and push side) are characterized by higher carcinogenic risk than other coke plant workplaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Instrumental Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Jagiellońska 4, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland. gbieniek@sum.edu.pl
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bieniek
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Łusiak
mesh_terms: D003077:Coke; D006801:Humans; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000032:analysis*; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D011044:Poland; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D003077:Coke; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons