Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure of refractory masons working in metallurgy

Introduction. - Few studies exist on occupational exposure of refractory masons (RMs). The objective of this work was to assess exposure levels to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of RM working in metallurgy and to estimate a biological limit value (BLV) for 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) resulting from that of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3-OHBaP). Material and method. - Three hundred and sixty-nine RMs whom biomonitoring of occupational exposure had been assessed between 2001 and 2019 were included in the study. The 699 urinary levels of 1-OHP and the 233 of 3-OHBaP recorded in the Exporisq-HAP database were analyzed, along with data on occupational activities, smoking and personal protective equipment (PPE). Results. - Seventy-nine percent of the RMs were involved in silicon production and 21% in alu-minium production. Levels were higher among smokers (S) than non-smokers (NS). The highest levels were found before 2015 for ramming activities in aluminum, and for floor grooming in silicon. The 2 biomarkers were correlated in the 2 industrial sectors but the 1-OHP values cor-responding to the BLV of 3-OHBaP were 3 times higher for aluminum than for silicon (4.1 vs 1.5 & mu;mol.mol-1 for S and 2.5 vs 0.7 & mu;mol.mol-1 for NS). Discussion/conclusion. - The levels were generally lower than those reported in the literature, in connection with product and process changes over the past 10 years. While the RMs may have been exposed to high levels of PAHs until 2016, current levels are lower than the BLV of 3-OHBaP. Because of the variability in the composition of PAH mixtures across different industrial sectors and the use of PPE, it is not possible to determine a single BLV for 1-OHP.