Vapours and aerosols of bitumen: exposure data obtained by the German Bitumen Forum

In a large project of the German Bitumen Forum, almost all branches of industry in Germany that use bitumen have been examined with regard to bitumen exposure. A total of 1272 samples were gathered between 1991 and 2005. The measuring method includes vapours and aerosols emitted from hot bitumen; the proportions of these two components and their dependency on bitumen temperature are described. Whereas in most branches a value of 10 mg m(-3) for the sum of vapours and aerosols is not exceeded, much higher values have been observed for work with mastic asphalt. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been analysed in some cases, but exposure is several orders of magnitudes lower than with the earlier use of tar.