Asphalt fumes

Asphalt fumes are complex mixtures containing numerous organic compounds, PAHs and nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen-containing PAHs in vapor and aerosol form. Asphalt road pavers and highway maintenance workers are exposed to asphalt fumes by both inhalation and skin contact. 

Esophagus Stomach Large intestine Rectum Bladder 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Criteria for a Recommended Standard... Occupational Exposure to Asbestos. DHEW (HSM) 72-10267. Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office, 1972 

Parkes WR Occupational Lung Disorders, 2nd ed, p 255. London, Butterworths, 1982 

Becklake MR Pneumoconioses. In Murray JF, Nadel JA Textbook of Respiratory Medicine, Vol 2, p 1577. Philadelphia, PA, WB Saunders, 1988 

Sanden A, Jarvholm B, Larsson S, et al The importance of lung function, nonmalignant diseases associated with asbestos, and symptoms as predictors of ischaemic heart disease in shipyard workers exposed to asbestos. Br J Ind Med 50 785-790, 1993 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Toxicological Profile for Asbestos. US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, pp 141, 1999 

---

Hoidal CR, Hall AH, Robinson MD, et al. 1986. Hydrogen sulfide poisoning from toxic inhalations of roofing asphalt fumes. Ann Emerg Med 15 826-830. 

Source Detected in groundwater beneath a former coal gasification plant in Seattle, WA at a concentration of 180 g/L (ASTR, 1995). Acenaphthene is present in tobacco smoke, asphalt, combustion of aromatic fuels containing pyridine (quoted, Verschueren, 1983). Acenaphthene was detected in asphalt fumes at an average concentration of 18.65 ng/m (Wang et al., 2001). Present in diesel fuel and corresponding aqueous phase (distilled water) at concentrations of 100 to 600 mg/L and 4 to 14 g/L, respectively (Lee et al, 1992). 

Chrysene was detected in asphalt fumes at an average concentration of 115.67 ng/m (Wang et ah, 2001). 

Wang, J., Lewis, D.M., Castranova, V., Frazer, D.G., Goldsmith, T., Tombl3m, S., Simpson, J., Stone, S., Afshari, A., and Siegel, P.D. Characterization of asphalt fume composition under simulated road paving conditions by GC/MS and microflow LC/quadrupole time-of-flight MS, Anal Chem., 73(15) 3691-3700, 2001. 

Uses/Sources. Asphalt fumes arise from asphalt used for road construction, roofing, and coating of construction materials and in association with the production of asphalt from petroleum in asphalt-based paints... 

Toxicology. Acute exposure to asphalt fumes causes irritative effects. Certain extracts of asphalt have caused a carcinogenic skin response in experimental animals. 

Although a causal relationship cannot be established, recent studies have suggested an association between asphalt fume exposure and acute lower respiratory tract symptoms including coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. ... 

NIOSH has determined that some workers exposed to asphalt fume are at an elevated risk for lung cancer however, it is uncertain whether this excess is related to asphalt or other carcinogens in the workplace. ... 

The 2003 ACGIH threshold limit valuetime-weighted average (TLV-TWA) for asphalt fumes is 5 mg/m. ... 

Chase RM, Liss GM, Cole DC, et al Toxic health effects including reversible macrothrombocytosis in workers exposed to asphalt fumes. Am J Ind Med 25 279-289, 1994... 

SYNS ASPHALT, at or above its Fp (DOT) ASPHALT FUMES (ACGIH) ASPHALT, PETROLEUM ASPHALTUM BITUMEN (MAK) JUDEAN PITCH MINERAL PITCH PETROLEUM ASPHALT PETROLEUM BITUMEN PETROLEUM PITCH PETROLEUM ROOFING TAR ROAD ASPHALT (DOT)... 

ACGIH TLV TWA 0.5 mg/mh Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen DFG MAK Confirmed Animal Carcinogen with Unknown Relevance to Humans NIOSH REL (Asphalt Fumes) CL 5 mg/m3/15M... 

Zhao HW, YinXJ, Frazer D, et al. Effects of paving asphalt fume exposure on genotoxic and mutagenic activities in the rat lung. Mutat Res 2004 557(2) 137-49. 

---