Occupational Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds and Aldehydes in the U.S. Trucking Industry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blicharz AP ; Davis ME ; Garshick E ; Hart JE ; Laden F ; Smith, Thomas J.
• Description:
  Diesel exhaust is a complex chemical mixture that has been linked to lung cancer mortality in a number of epidemiologic studies. However, the dose-response relationship remains largely undefined, and the specific components responsible for carcinogenicity have not been identified. Although previous focus has been on the particulate phase, diesel exhaust includes a vapor phase of numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aldehydes that are either known or suspected carcinogens, such as 1,3-butadiene, benzene, and formaldehyde. However, there are relatively few studies that quantify exposure to VOCs and aldehydes in diesel-heavy and other exhaust-related microenvironments. As part of a nationwide assessment of exposure to diesel exhaust in the trucking industry, we collected measurements of VOCs and aldehydes at 15 different U.S. trucking terminals and in city truck drivers (with 6 repeat site visits), observing average shift concentrations in truck cabs and at multiple background and work area locations within each terminal. In this paper, we characterize occupational exposure to 18 different VOCs and aldehydes, as well as relationships with particulate mass (elemental carbon in PM < 1 um and PM2.5) across locations to determine source characteristics. Our results show that occupational exposure to VOCs and aldehydes varies significantly across the different sampling locations within each terminal, with significantly higher exposures noted in the work environments over background levels (p < 0.01). A structural equation model performed well in predicting terminal exposures to VOCs and aldehydes as a function of job, background levels, weather conditions, proximity to a major road, and geographic location (R2 = 0.2-0.4 work area; R2 = 0.5-0.9 background). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aldehydes Automobiles Benzene Carcinogens Chemistry Environmental Exposure Epidemiology Formaldehyde Lung Lung Diseases Neoplasms Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Solvents Volatile Organic Compounds

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• Keywords:
  1,3-Butadiene Benzenes Cancer Carcinogenicity Chemical Composition Chemical Properties Diesel Exhaust Dose Response Exposure Levels Lung Cancer Models Motor Vehicles Particulates Risk Factors Sampling Trucking Vapors VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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• ISSN:
  0013-936X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  41
• Issue:
  20
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055121
• Citation:
  Environ Sci Technol 2007 Oct; 41(20):7152-7158
• Contact Point Address:
  Mary E. Davis, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
• Email:
  mary.davis@umit.maine.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Science and Technology
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4f3c9c0fc4306f644dc417bfa01828849250da494e98e438f95c2fcaee03cff33d1e76d2e8699a653a4fe3b52c6dee866671c94b99ddbd7744e6afa3331cb399
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217488/cdc_217488_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 95.99 KB ]