A Comparison of the Skin Carcinogenicity of Condensed Roofing Asphalt and Coal Tar Pitch Fumes.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burg J ; Menzies, K.T. ; Moss, C. Eugene ; Niemeier RW ; Thayer PS ; Thuna P
• Description:
  The carcinogenic potentials of volatiles from roofing asphalts (8052424) and coal tar pitches (65996932) and effects of simulated sunlight were studied in pigmented and nonpigmented mice. Collections at 316 degrees-C yielded nine to 16 times more volatile material from asphalts and two to seven times more from coal tar pitched than at 232 degrees-C. Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis identified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their levels in the eight skin painting solutions. Solutions were applied to skin of male nonpigmented Swiss-CD-1-mice and pigmented C3h/HeJ-mice. Mean survival times of treated C3H/HeJ-mice were 44.3 to 68.7 weeks. Mean survival times for solvent controls were 65.6 +/- 3.0 weeks for simulated sunlight (SS) unexposed animals and 73.0 +/- 2.2 weeks for SS exposed groups. Corresponding results for CD-1-mice were 52.6 to 67.8, 63.9 +/2.6, and 67.8 +/- 2.1 weeks, respectively. The incidence of all malignant tumors was about 5 percent in CD-1-mice and about 60 percent in C3H/HeJ-mice. Most of the benign tumors were papillomas and most of the malignant tumors were squamous cell carcinomas. All groups exposed to higher temperature generated materials were significantly more susceptible. SS unexposed groups had more tumors with higher temperature condensates. C3H/HeJ-mouse asphalt groups exposed to SS developed less tumors. In C3H/HeJ-mice, fumes collected from type-I asphalt appeared more carcinogenic than 0.01 percent benzo(a)pyrene. Mice exposed to low temperature material without SS showed no change in percentage of tumor bearing animals but significant decreases in latency and survival. C3H/HeJ-mice showed no difference in latency, but the group treated with combined asphalt and coal tar pitch condensate showed a significantly increased response. The authors conclude that asphalt and coal tar pitch are highly carcinogenic, particularly when used at elevated temperatures or in combination. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Carcinogens Coal Coal Tar Hazardous Substances Hydrocarbons Laboratories Occupational Health Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Safety Skin
• Keywords:
  Polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons; Asphalt-fumes; Coal-tar-pitch; Carcinogenicity; Laboratory-animals; Skin-exposure; Skin-tumors; Pollutants; Health-hazards
• Publisher:
  Battelle Press
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00179126
• Citation:
  Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Decade of Progress, Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium 1988:609-647
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asphalt (CAS RN 8052-42-4) ; Pitch, coal tar, high-temp. (CAS RN 65996-93-2)
• Editor(s):
  Cooke M; Dennis AJ
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1988
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Decade of Progress, Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/242507/cdc_242507_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]