Waste incineration: estimation of the workers' internal exposure to PCB, PAH chlorophenols and other relevant agents

Fifty-four persons occupied in a municipal waste incinerator were examined with respect to their internal exposure to organic substances which are possibly produced during pyrolysis of organic matter. For this purpose the levels of benzene of blood, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in plasma as well as mono- (MCP), di- (DCP), tri- (TCP), tetra- (TECP) and pentachlorophenols (PCP) and hydroxypyrene in urine have been determined. Four hundred thirty-one men and women were examined for control purposes. Statistical significantly higher values for the workers were found for the excretion of hydroxypyrene 2,5/2,4-DCP, 2,4,5 TCP, and for the HCB level in plasma. For the concentrations of 4-MCP and 2,3,4,6-2,3,5,6-TECP the controls had significantly higher concentrations in urine than the workers in the incineration plant. No significant differences between workers and controls were detected with respect to benzene in blood, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP in urine, and to the levels of PCP congeners in plasma. The elevated levels of hydroxypyrene, 2,4-/2,5 DCP, 2,4,5-TCP, and HCB in biological material may be related to the incineration of the waste. These elevations, however, are very small and attract attention more from the environmental than from the occupational point of view.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.