Asphalt fumes: Exposure to PAH and amines

A recent review indicates that there may be an increased risk of cancer in workers exposed to fumes from bitumen and other components in asphalt. In Sweden, there are about 3,500 workers exposed to bitumen fumes from road paving or asphalt mixing. Important constituents of asphalt from the health point of view are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and polyamines. Swedish asphalt normally contains only small amounts of coal tar, nevertheless PAH exposure has been shown to be appreciable. Fatty amine wetting agents are used to increase adhesion in bitumen emulsions used in road paving. The commercial fatty amine products are contaminated with low molecular polyamines and alkanol polyamines. These compounds are released from the hot bitumen during paving. Polyamines and alkanol polyamines are known to cause eye and respiratory tract irritation and skin sensitization. This paper summarizes two studies. The objective of the first study was to assess exposure of road pavers to PAH using biological monitoring, and the objective of the second study was to study amine and formaldehyde exposure using air sampling.