Exposure to styrene in fiberglass-reinforced plastic manufacture: still a problem

The aim of the work is to define occupational exposure to styrene in fiberglass manufacture; the phase of stretching styrene resins needs some manual handling and leads workers to be exposed to styrene.

We surveyed 20 workers in two companies manufacturing fiberglass, checking environmental levels and urinary concentrations of mandelic acid (MA), and phenylglioxylic acid (PGA). Workers completed a questionnaire collecting their medical history.

Environmental monitoring showed some styrene concentrations higher than the threshold limit value-time-weighted average. Biological monitoring confirmed these findings and four workers had levels of urinary PGA and MA concentrations higher than the Biological Exposure Indices of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.

This picture confirms that, even though the risk is known and the manufacturing cycle is well-defined, workers nevertheless risk exposure. More research is needed to optimize the work processes and the protection systems to lower this risk.