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Environmental monitoring of mutagenic/carcinogenic hazards associated with occupational exposure to bitumen fumes was performed during road paving operations. Bitumen samples were collected and analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) content by HPLC and for mutagenicity by the Ames test. The exposure of sixteen road workers to bitumen fumes was studied. Time-weighted average values of bitumen fumes were determined by personal samplers. PAH concentration in the air and the mutagenicity of airborne particulates were also analysed. The results showed that bitumen samples contained low levels of total PAH (microgram/g) and were not mutagenic. Environmental monitoring showed a low level of exposure to bitumen fumes, which were found to contain only trace levels of PAH and not to be mutagenic. The authors suggest that these workers' exposure to mutagenic/carcinogenic agents is low.

The authors carried out biological monitoring of the mutagenic/carcinogenic hazards associated with exposure to bitumen fumes during paving operations, analysing some biological parameters in the urine of a group of exposed workers. The urine samples were studied for mutagenicity by the Ames test and for thioethers concentration. D-Glucaric acid urine excretion was also determined to investigate the enzymatic induction potential of bitumens. Even though, in a previous environmental monitoring phase, a low content of mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds was found in bitumen and air samples, urinary mutagenicity data of exposed workers were statistically higher than those of a group of unexposed subjects. The urinary mutagenicity increased further if exposure to bitumens was associated with cigarette smoking. Thioethers were higher only in subjects exposed simultaneously to bitumens and cigarettes. D-Glucaric acid excretion did not increase significantly. The authors think that this type of coupled environmental and biological monitoring is a valid tool for a better evaluation of the mutagenic/carcinogenic exposure to bitumens or similar complex mixtures.