Occupational Exposure to Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons at a Coke Plant

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Grazyna Bieniek* and Agnieszka Lusiak

Department of Instrumental Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Jagiellonska 4, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland ?* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: gbieniek{at}sum.edu.pl Received September 21, 2011. Accepted January 10, 2012. Objectives: 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 BaPeq 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 (BaPeq) 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. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene SocietyThis ArticleAnn Occup Hyg (2012) 56 (7): 796-807. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/mes016 First published online: April 26, 2012 Current Issue
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Posted in: Aromatic, exposure, Hydrocarbons, Occupational, plant, Polycyclic