Coke oven emissions, carcinogenic

EPA. 1984a. Carcinogen assessment of coke oven emissions. Washington, DC U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment. EPA-600/6-82-003F. NTIS No. PB84 170182. 

The primary routes of potential human exposure to coke oven emissions are inhalation and dermal contact. Occupational exposure to coke oven emissions may occur for those workers in the aluminum, steel, graphite, electrical, and construction industries. Coke oven emissions can have a deleterious effect on human health. Coke oven emissions contain literally several thousand compounds, several of which are known carcinogens and/or cocarcinogens including polycyclic organic matter from coal tar pitch volatiles, jS-naphthylamine, benzene, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromate, lead, nickel subsulfide, nitric oxide, and sulfur dioxide. Most regulatory attention has been paid to coal tar pitch volatiles. 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has not identified thresholds for carcinogens that will protect 100% of the population. It usually recommends that occupational exposures to carcinogens be limited to the lowest detectable concentration. To ensure maximum protection from carcinogens through the use of respiratory protection, only the most reliable and protective respirators are recommended. The OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) for benzene-soluble fraction of coke oven emissions is 0.150 mg m. ... 

Several experiments have shown that most PAH mixtures are considerably less potent than individual PAHs. Various combustion emissions and benzo[a]pyrene have been examined for carcinogenic potency and tumor initiation activity on mouse skin. In all cases, PAH mixtures were much less potent than benzo[a]pyrene. The authors calculated relative potency estimates that ranged from 0.007 for coke oven emissions extract to less than 0.002 for diesel engine exhaust extract, using papillomas per mouse per milligram of the mixture as the end point (Slaga et al. 

A good example of a gas-chromatographic analysis in the area of air quality is in the study of coke-oven emissions. By its very nature, the coke process can be expected to produce polycyclic organic matter this is of concern because many compounds in this class are carcinogenic. Such compounds as benz[a]anthracene, benzo[a]-pyrene, and benz[c]acridine are of particular importance. 

Second eliminate this hazard or we ll take industrial action. This is a form of bargaining which occurs in specific workplaces and which is particularly important in relation to health hazards. For example, strikes at BHP in 1980 were an attempt to get management to take effective action with respect to carcinogenic coke oven emissions. While this action did not bring the major capital investment necessary to eliminate the hazard, it did quicken the pace of reform (Fisse and Braithwaite 1983, p. 87). 

The NTP report also lists many poorly defined materials such as soots, tars, mineral oils, and coke oven emissions, as well as viruses, sunlight, ionizing radiation, etc. These carcinogenic agents are not included here. 

Chemical exposure might increase the risk of prostate cancer, but as yet we have rarely linked exposure to any specific chemical or chemical mixture with prostate cancer. One exception is emissions from coke ovens (see table 4.1). These emissions contain several PAHs. As previously discussed, several specific chemicals within this group are carcinogenic to the lung. However, there has been evidence in animals linking these emissions with prostate cancer. Other explanations for the increased incidence of this cancer type are the same as those discussed above for breast cancer. 

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