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Chlorophenol exposure in harbor workers exposed to river silt aerosols
Katja Radon1, Ralf Wegner, Regine Heinrich-Ramm
1Ordinariat für Arbeitsmedizin der Universität und Zentralinstitut für Arbeitsmedizin der Freien und Hansestadt, Hamburg, Germany. katja.radon@ed.uni-muenchen.de
Objectives:
While dredging the river Elbe in the harbor of Hamburg, workers are potentially exposed to river silt aerosols containing organic compounds. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the internal load of chlorophenols in exposed workers.
Methods:
Eighty-four exposed workers and eighty-four unexposed office workers were examined. Urinary samples were analyzed for dichlorophenols, trichlorophenols, tetrachlorophenols, and pentachlorophenol (PCP).
Results:
For exposed workers, more than 2/3 of the urinary samples were above detection limit for 2,5-dichlorophenol, 2,4/3,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, and PCP. Harbor workers had significantly higher median levels of 2,5-dichlorophenol (0.6 vs. 0.4 microg/g creatinine) and PCP (1.4 vs. 1.0 microg/g creatinine) as compared to unexposed subjects. These differences remained statistically significant after adjustment for age, smoking habits, and fish consumption.
Conclusion:
Harbor workers in the harbor of Hamburg have a statistically significant higher internal load of chlorophenols than the general population. However, the internal load is within the range of exposure reported from the general population. Therefore, even though chlorophenols are found in the river silt these exposures do not seem to be the major source of the internal load among workers in the harbor of Hamburg.