Suchergebnisse

AbstractWorking as a professional hairdresser involves the daily usage of many different hair treatment products containing chemicals in complex mixtures. Exposure may induce symptoms in the airways and on the skin. In this study, exposure of hairdressers to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including aldehydes, was measured in the personal breathing zone in the spring of 2017. The study included 30 hairdressers evenly distributed over ten hair salons in the town of Örebro, Sweden. Work tasks and indoor climate were also surveilled. A hazard index (HI) based on chronic reference values for health was calculated to indicate combined exposure risk. In total, 90 VOCs, including nine aldehydes, were identified. Individual exposure expressed as a total concentration of VOCs (TVOCs) were in the range of 50–3600 µg/m3 toluene equivalent (median 460 µg/m3) and the HI was in the range 0.0046–13 (median 0.9). Exposure was more strongly influenced by variability among hairdressers than among salons. The HI indicated an increased risk of non-carcinogenic effects (HI ≥ 1) at four of the 10 hair salons. Individual working procedures, ventilation, volumetric usage of hair treatment products, certain chemicals in products (formaldehyde, isopropanol, and 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate), and availability of reference values may have affected estimates of exposure risks. Nevertheless, the HI may be suitable as a screening tool to assess potential exposure risk posed to hairdressers since it considers the complexity of chemical mixtures and the chronic component of VOC exposure occurring in all indoor environments.

Abstract
Coal tar creosote, or creosote, is a by-product of the carbonization of coal to produce coke and has been used as a wood preservative since the late 19th century. Creosote is a mixture of many different compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)s, phenols and cresols. Even though several PAHs are carcinogenic to humans, creosote is still used in impregnation of railway ties and electricity and telephone poles. Occupational exposure can occure from inhalation of creosote vapour or through skin contact. Dermal uptake is considered to be the most important route of exposure to PAHs. Even though the ratio between different PAHs may vary, measurements of 1-hydroxy-pyrene (1-HP) in urine is the common method for biological monitoring of occupational exposure to PAH. This study was conducted indoors in a facility where railroad switches are assembled with concrete or creosote impregnated wood ties. The aim of the study was to assess the workers´exposure to PAHs by (i) measuring PAH 16 in the breathing zone from whole shift samples, (ii) examining the dermal exposure of pyrene using a tape stripping technique, (iii) assessing the workers´ internal exposure by measuring 1-OHP in urine samples. The study show that during construction of railroad switches made from creosote impregnated ties workers get urinary levels of 1-OPH above the Biological Guidance Value during the work week. Dermal uptake seems to be the main route of exposure and preventive measures should be focused upon reducing the dermal exposure.
Speaker Biography
Pål Graff works as a Professor at the Norwegian National Institute of Occupational Health and Norwegian University of Life Sciences. His main research interests are exposure assessment and epidemiology.