PAH exposure of bitumen exposed persons

Status:

completed 12/2007

Aims:

Prevention of adverse healths effects - evaluation of limit values in biological materials. Determination of internal and external exposure.

Activities/Methods:

Determination of hydroxypyrene, hydroxyphenanthrenes and hydroxynaphthalenes in urine (HPLC/FD).

Results:

Aim of this project was to determine the internal burden of workers, occupationally exposed to vapours and aerosols of bitumen. For this purpose the Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance Institute of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (IPA) collected pre and post shift urine samples and sent them to the IPASUM for analysis. Within the scope of this project 955 pre and post shift urine samples were examined for 1-, (2+9)-, 3-, 4-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 1- and 2-naphthol. Additionally cotinine was analysed in all post-shift samples. Based on the measured levels of creatinine the dilution of the particular urine sample was included in the quantification.
The median values of the sum of hydroxyphenanthrene in this collective were determined to be 1248 ng/l and 968 ng/g crea respectively and 387 ng/l and 306 ng/g crea for 1-hydroxypyrene. Median values of the sum of 1- and 2-naphthol were 24 µg/l and 21 µg/g crea.

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