Evaluation of Exposure to Aromatic Solvents at Workplaces in a Sheet
Steel Coating Plant
Renate Podeu1, Matthäus Hiesmayr2, Martin Einhaus1,
Oswald Jahn1, Hugo W. Rüdiger1
1Department of Occupational Medicine, University of Vienna,
Austria
2Centre of Occupational Medicine, VOEST Alpine Stahl Linz
AG, Austria
Corresponding author:
Prof. Dr. Hugo W. Rüdiger,
Department of Occupational Medicine, University of Vienna
Vienna General Hospital, Währinger-Gürtel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna,
Austria
Tel: (+43) 1 40400 4701
FAX: (+43) 1 4088011
CEJOEM 1997, 3:24-30
Key words: Benzene, toluene, xylene, phenol, hippuric acid,
air monitoring, biological monitoring
Abbreviations:
BAT = “Biologischer Arbeitsplatztoleranzwert” (German biological tolerance
value)
BTX aromatics = benzene, toluene, o-, m-, p-xylene, ethyl- and propylbenzene
MAK = “Maximale Arbeitsplatzkonzentration” (threshold limit value)
Abstract: Several thousand tons of lacquers are used per year
in an Austrian sheet steel coating plant. When spot-check investigations
at the workplace had revealed that BTX aromatics were present which had
not been specified in any of the material security data sheets (MSDS’s),
the reliability of these MSDS’s had been questioned. To answer this, air
monitoring and biomonitoring of organic solvents, especially BTX aromatics,
were performed. External exposure was determined by passive and active
air sampling, the internal burden by measurement of BTX aromatics in blood
by gas chromatography / masspectrometry (GC/MS) and by determination of
urinary hippuric acid (metabolite of toluene) and phenol (metabolite of
benzene). The results of active and passive air monitoring showed very
low concentrations of toluene, m-, p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene and
propylbenzene, which were less than 1/100 of the corresponding MAK values.
In post-shift blood samples we found 14.8 µg/l m-, p-xylene, 14.7
µg/l o-xylene, 6.7 µg/l ethylbenzene and 5.5 µg/l toluene
as peak concentrations. For comparison BAT values for the xylene isomeres
are 1500 µg/l and for toluene 1700 µg/l, for ethylbenzene no
BAT value is given. Benzene was detected neither in air nor in blood samples
and urinary phenol excretion was not enhanced, accordingly. Hippuric acid
reached a maximum at 625.94 mg/g creatinine at Friday post-shift. The results
of the present study reveal no evidence that working in the present sheet
steel coating plant may pose a health hazard caused by BTX aromatics.
Received: 15 January 1997
Accepted: 10 February 1997
Posted: 14 December 1998 |
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