Coke-oven workers

When epidemiological studies form the basis for the risk assessment of a single chemical or even complex mixtures, such as various combustion emissions, it may be stated that in those cases the effects of combined action of chemicals have been incorporated. Examples can, for instance, be found in the updated WHO Air Quality guidelines (WHO 2000). Thus, the guideline value for, e.g., ozone was derived from epidemiological studies of persons exposed to ozone as part of the total mixture of chemicals in polluted ambient air. In addition, the risk estimate for exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was derived from studies on coke-oven workers heavily exposed to benzo[fl]pyrene as a component of a mixture of PAH and possibly many other chemicals at the workplace. Therefore, in some instances the derivation of a tolerable intake for a single compound can be based on studies where the compound was part of a complex chemical mixture. 

Exposure to coke oven emissions is a cause of lung and kidney cancer. A major study of US coke oven workers showed that mortality from lung cancer for full topside workers is 9 times the expected rate for partial topside workers, it is almost 2.5 times the expected rate and for side oven workers, it is 1.7 times the expected... 

Biological monitoring of 1-hydroxypyrene (a PAH metabolite) in urine has been a useful indicator of PAH exposure in coke oven workers."... 

Redmond CK, Ciocco A, Lloyd JW, Rush HW Long-term mortality study of steelworkers. VI. Mortality from malignant neoplasms among coke oven workers. J Occup Med 14 621-629, 1972... 

Harris, C.C., Vahakangas, K., Newman, M.J., Trivers, G.E., Shamsud-DIN, A., SiNOPOLi, N., Mann, D.L., and Wright, WE. (1985). Detection of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide-DNA adducts in peripheral blood lymphocytes and antibodies to the adducts in serum from coke oven workers, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 82,6672. 

Coaltar Lung, larynx, skin, bladder Gas house workers, coke oven workers, coal tar and pitch workers... 

Cheng, J., Leng, S., Dai, Y., Huang, C., Pan, Z., Niu, Y., Li, B., Zheng, Y. (2007). Association between nucleotide excision repair gene polymorphisms and chromosomal damage in coke oven workers. Biomarkers 12 76-86. 

Petroleum coke is a chunky powdered carbon product derived from petroleum. If petroleum coke is heated to a high temperature, it may emit volatiles such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, which could be suspect carcinogens. Such exposures can occur in coke oven workers. 

Chronic occupation-related exposure is associated with significant excess mortality from cancer of the respiratory system and of the prostate. Depending on the segment of the population considered, the respiratory cancer risk for coke oven workers was as high as 4.5 times the risk for nonoven workers. To evaluate a biologically effective exposure dose in human biomonitoring studies, DNA carcinogen adduct analysis is frequently used. 

Costantino JP, Redmond CK, and Bearden A (1995) Occupationally related cancer risk among coke oven workers 30 years of follow up. Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine 37 597-604. 

Hu Y, Chen B, Yin Z, et al. Increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in coke oven workers Interaction between occupational exposure and smoking. Thorax 2006 61(4) 290 5. 

Coke oven workers are at risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is a dose-dependent relationship between exposure to the benzene soluble fraction of coke oven emissions and COPD. Smoking in coke oven workers synergistically increases the incidence of COPD.1621 Though many of the compounds in cigarette smoke are identical to those in coke oven emissions, that alone cannot account for the observed synergism. 

Humoral immunity was monitored in male iron foundry workers in Poland (Szczeklik et al. 1994). Coke oven workers (199) were compared to cold-rolling mill workers (76). The groups were similar with respect to age, length of employment, and smoking habits. The results showed that coke oven workers, exposed to high concentrations of atmospheric PAHs, including fluoranthene, perylene, pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, benz[a]anthracene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and... 

The authors note, however, that the coke oven workers were exposed to higher levels of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide than were the cold-rolling mill workers, and they suggest that this additional exposure may have potentiated the effects of the PAH exposure. The potential contribution of the smoking habits of the subjects was not investigated. 

Haugen A. Becher G, Benestad C, et al. 1986. Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the urine. benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide-DNA adducts in lymphocyte DNA, and antibodies to the adducts in sera from coke oven workers exposed to measured amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the work atmosphere. Cancer Res 46 4178-4183. 

Herikstad BV, Overbo S, Haugen A, et al. 1993. Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine from coke-oven workers with a radioimmunoassay. 

Mazumdar S, Redmond CK, Sollecito W, et al. 1975. An epidemiological study of exposure to coal tar pitch volatiles among coke oven workers. J Air Pollut Control Assoc 25 382-389. 

PAH diol epoxide-DNA adducts have not only been detected in rodent tissues in experimental systems after PAH exposure, but have also been identified in (a) populations exposed to complex mixtures containing PAHs, (b) foundry workers (Perera et al. 1988 Hemminki et al. 1988), (c) coke oven workers (Rojas et al. 1995 Pavanello et al. 1999), (d) cigarette smokers (Lodovici et al. 1998 Rojas et al. 1995), (e) chimney sweeps (Pavanello et al. 1999), and (f) populations exposed to smoky coal combustion mixtures (Mumford et al. 1993). Some bay- or fjord-region diol epoxides form DNA adducts in the human p53 tumor suppressor gene at sites that are hotspots for lung cancer (Smith et al. 2000). 

Hemminki, K., Perera, F. R, Phillips, D. H., Randerath, K., Reddy, M. V., and Santella, R. M. (1988). Aromatic deoxyribonucleic acid adducts in white blood cells of foundry and coke oven workers. Scand J Work Environ Health 14(Suppl 1), 55—56. 

Rojas, M., Alexandrov, K., Auburtin, G., Wastiaux-Denamur, A., Mayer, L., Mahieu, B., Sebastien, R, and Bartsch, H. (1995). Anti-benzo[a]pyrene diolepoxide—DNA adduct levels in peripheral mononuclear cells from coke oven workers and flie enhancing effect of smoking. Carcinogenesis 16, 1373-1376. 

In a mortality study of steelworkers employed in a coke oven plant in 1953, increased mortality from respiratory neoplasms (monitored from 1953 to 1961) was observed in coke oven workers compared to expected mortality rates (Lloyd 1971). Specifically, 20 deaths from respiratory neoplasms were observed, compared to the expected 7.5 deaths. The increase in mortality was linked to an increase in mortality from respiratory neoplasms in nonwhite oven workers who had been employed for 5 years. 

No increase in deaths from respiratory neoplasms was observed in nonoven workers. In a series of follow up studies of these same coke oven workers in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, similar associations between coal tar or coal tar pitch volatile exposure and mortality, primarily from lung cancer, were... 

Industrial populations that have been studied include coke oven workers, aluminum smelter workers, steelworkers, and people exposed to creosote through other activities (Armstrong et al. 1994 Bertrand et al. 1987 Bolt and Golka 1993 CEOH 1997 Costantino et al. 1995 Gibbs and Horowitz 1979 ... 

A review paper of studies using the concentration in urine of 1-hydroxypyrene as a biomarker of PAH exposure included levels reported in various studies (Strickland et al. 1996). The respective pre- and postshift urinary excretion levels of 1-hydroxypyrene for coke oven workers were 0.89 and 2.47 pmol/mol creatine for asphalt pavers, respective levels were 1.35 and 1.76 pmol/mol creatine. 

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are capable of forming adducts with DNA in cells. Exposure to PAHs from creosote were measured in the personal work areas of coke oven workers in the Czech Republic (Lewtas et al. 1997). Measured levels of DNA adducts in white blood cells of a nonoccupationally exposed population were well correlated with the low to moderate environmental exposures. The DNA adducts of the coke oven workers who were exposed to carcinogenic PAHs at levels of <5->200,000 ng/m3 (<0.005->200 pg/m3) did not correlate well with the exposure levels. These authors concluded that various mechanisms were responsible for the lower DNA-binding potency at the higher exposure levels, precluding the use of a linear model for dose-response extrapolation in risk assessment. 

Other individuals who are potentially exposed to coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch volatiles, or products containing creosote include coke oven workers, rubber industry or tire plant workers, road paving workers, roofers, chimney cleaners, aluminum smelting workers, iron foundry workers, steel plant workers, and site remediation workers who are involved with creosote-contaminated soils or water. 

Bender MA, Leonard RC, White O Jr, et al. 1988. Chromosomal aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes from coke oven workers. Mutat Res 206 11-16. 

Davies GM. 1977. A mortality study of coke oven workers in two South Wales integrated steelworks. 

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