In the BGFA research project “Irritative and/or genotoxic effects on the airways of fumes and aerosols of bitumen at high processing temperatures“, significantly higher concentrations of PAH metabolites were determined in the urine collected after a workshift of seven workers handling bitumen. Extensive investigations led to the detection of the main cause of the PAH exposure: coal tar plates, which were, unbeknown to the workers and coordinators, the foundation material of the bitumen layer. This short report shows that the cause of significantly increased PAH exposure during the handling of bitumen at high processing temperatures may not be exclusively the result of the fumes and aerosols of bitumen itself. This problem was solved by the collaboration and concerted action of different institutions co-ordinated by the BITUMEN discussion group.
