# 2005 British Occupational Hygiene Society Published by Oxford University Press doi:10.1093/annhyg/meh094 Dermal Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic

Objectives: Dermal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the role of an industrial by-product, coal fly ash, on workers ’ PAH exposure were investigated during stone mastic asphalt (SMA) paving and remixing. Methods: PAH exposure was measured at eight sites during the laying of SMA containing coal fly ash or limestone (conventional SMA) as the filler. Six of the surveys were carried out during SMA paving and two during remixing of SMA (hot recycling at the paving site). Dermal PAH exposure was measured by hand washing (using sunflower oil and wiping with Kleenex tissues) before and after the work shift, and by placing exposure pads on the workers ’ wrists during the work shift. The analyses included 15 native PAHs from the hand-washing samples determined using high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a two-channel fluorescence detector and 16 native PAHs and four methylated PAHs from the exposure pads using gas chromatography with mass-selective detection. Results: The PAH results obtained using the pad and hand-washing methods (concentrations after the work shift) were equivalent and showed a strong correlation (r = 0.757, P < 0.001, N = 23 for total PAHs). There was a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-shif