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Bitumen workers handling mastic versus rolled asphalt in a tunnel: assessment of exposure and biomarkers of irritation and genotoxicity

Archives of Toxicology volume 85, pages 81–87 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Emission levels of vapours and aerosols of bitumen are different when processing rolled asphalt compared to mastic asphalt, with working temperatures up to 180 and 250°C, respectively. During the Human Bitumen Study, we examined six workers handling rolled asphalt and mastic asphalt in two consecutive weeks at the same construction site in a tunnel. In addition to the determination of exposure to bitumen and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) during shift, we examined urinary PAH metabolites, irritative and genotoxic effects before and after shift. Median personal shift concentration of vapours and aerosols of bitumen was 1.8 (range 0.9–2.4) mg/m3 during the application of rolled asphalt and 7.9 (range 4.9–11.9) mg/m3 when mastic asphalt was applied. Area measurement of vapours and aerosols of bitumen revealed higher concentrations than the personal measurements for mastic asphalt (mastic asphalt: 34.9 mg/m3; rolled asphalt: 1.8 mg/m3). Processing mastic asphalt was associated also with higher PAH concentrations. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene and the sum of 1-, 2+ 9-, 3- and 4-hydroxyphenanthrene increased slightly during shift without clear difference between mastic and rolled asphalt application. However, the post-shift urinary PAH-metabolite concentrations did not reflect the different PAH exposure during mastic and rolled asphalt application. Individual workers could be identified by their spirometry results indicating that these data reflect more chronic than acute effects. In most cases, an increase of 8-oxodGuo adducts was observed during shift that was independent of the asphalt application. 8-oxodGuo and (+)-anti-BPDE-DNA adducts were higher than in exposed workers of the Human Bitumen Study independent of the asphalt application. The DNA-strand breaks were considerably higher pre-shift and decreased during shift. In this study, mastic asphalt application led to significantly higher exposure to vapours and aerosols of bitumen, as well as to airborne PAH, compared to rolled asphalt application. Nevertheless, no differences in the excretion of urinary PAH metabolites, lung function impairment and genotoxic markers were detected. However, higher levels of genotoxicity markers on both examination days compared with the results of the Human Bitumen Study may indicate a possible influence of the specific tunnel setting.

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Acknowledgments

The Human Bitumen Study was initiated by the German Committee for Hazardous Substances (AGS) and the German Bitumen Forum and financially supported by German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Eurobitume, Deutscher Asphaltverband e.V., Concawe, Zentralverband des Deutschen Dachdeckerhandwerks, Industrieverband Bitumen-, Dach- und Dichtungsbahnen e.V., Berufsgenossenschaft Rohstoffe und Chemische Industrie (BG RCI) and Aksys GmbH, Beratungsstelle Gussasphaltanwendungen (bga), BG BAU, Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Bitumenindustrie (Arbit). We thank all workers having participated in the Human Bitumen Study. We gratefully acknowledge the technical support of the field team, especially Anne Flagge, Anja Molkenthin, Bianca Wachter, Dieter Höber and the laboratory staff Gerda Borowitzki, Maria Düser, Susanne Freundt, Sabine Bernard, Heike Stubel and Helga Hut for their skilful technical assistance and/or the data entry.

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Affiliations

  1. Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany

    Monika Raulf-Heimsoth, Boleslaw Marczynski, Anne Spickenheuer, Beate Pesch, Peter Welge, Rainer Bramer, Benjamin Kendzia, Evelyn Heinze, Jürgen Angerer & Thomas Brüning

  2. Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schillerstraße 25/29, Erlangen, Germany

    Jürgen Angerer

  3. BG-BAU, An der Festeburg 27–29, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

    Reinhold Rühl

Authors
  1. Monika Raulf-Heimsoth
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  2. Boleslaw Marczynski
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  3. Anne Spickenheuer
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  4. Beate Pesch
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  5. Peter Welge
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  6. Reinhold Rühl
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  7. Rainer Bramer
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  8. Benjamin Kendzia
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  9. Evelyn Heinze
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  10. Jürgen Angerer
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  11. Thomas Brüning
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Correspondence to Monika Raulf-Heimsoth.

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Raulf-Heimsoth, M., Marczynski, B., Spickenheuer, A. et al. Bitumen workers handling mastic versus rolled asphalt in a tunnel: assessment of exposure and biomarkers of irritation and genotoxicity. Arch Toxicol 85, 81–87 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-011-0685-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-011-0685-2

Keywords

  • Bitumen
  • PAH metabolites
  • Spirometry
  • Genotoxic biomarkers
  • Rolled asphalt
  • Mastic asphalt