Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 65, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
Ann Work Expo Health. 2017 Jul 1;61(6):692-699. doi: 10.1093/annweh/wxx036.
Characterize personal exposure to airborne hydrocarbons, particularly carcinogenic benzene, during spill of two different fresh crude oils at sea.
The study included 22 participants taking part in an «oil on water» field trial in the North Sea. Two types of fresh crude oils (light and heavy) were released six times over two consecutive days followed by different oil spill response methods. The participants were distributed on five boats; three open sampling boats (A, B, and C), one release ship (RS), and one oil recovery (OR) vessel. Assumed personal exposure was assessed a priori, assuming high exposure downwind and close to the oil slick (sampling boats), low exposure further downwind (100-200 m) and upwind from the oil slick (main deck of RS and OR vessel), and background exposure indoors (bridge of RS/OR vessel). Continuous measurements of total volatile organic compounds in isobutylene equivalents were performed with photoionization detectors placed in all five boats. Full-shift personal exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, naphthalene, and n-hexane was measured with passive thermal desorption tubes.
Personal measurements of benzene, averaged over the respective sample duration, on Day 1 showed that participants in the sampling boats (A, B, and C) located downwind and close to the oil slick were highest exposed (0.14-0.59 ppm), followed by participants on the RS main deck (0.02-0.10 ppm) and on the bridge (0.004-0.03 ppm). On Day 2, participants in sampling boat A had high benzene exposure (0.87-1.52 ppm) compared to participants in sampling boat B (0.01-0.02 ppm), on the ships (0.06-0.10 ppm), and on the bridge (0.004-0.01 ppm). Overall, the participants in the sampling boats had the highest exposure to all of the compounds measured. The light crude oil yielded a five times higher concentration of total volatile organic compounds in air in the sampling boats (max 510 ppm) than the heavy crude oil (max 100 ppm) but rapidly declined to <20 ppm within 24 min after release of oil, indicating short periods of exposure.
The personal exposure to benzene downwind and close to the oil slick during spills of light crude oil was relatively high, with concentration levels approaching the occupational exposure limits for several participants. For bulk spill scenarios like in this study, cleanup should not be initiated the first 30-60 min to allow for evaporation, while appropriate personal protective equipment should be used in continuous spills when working downwind and close to the oil slick.
描述在海上两次不同原油泄漏期间，空气中碳氢化合物（尤其是致癌苯）的个人暴露情况。
该研究纳入了 22 名参与北海“油在水上”现场试验的参与者。连续两天进行了六次释放两种不同的新鲜原油，随后采用不同的溢油应急方法。参与者分布在五艘船上：三艘开放式采样船（A、B 和 C）、一艘释放船（RS）和一艘溢油回收船（OR）。根据假设，在高浓度下风下风并靠近浮油（采样船）的情况下，假设个人暴露程度较高，在浮油下风下风（100-200 米）和上风处（RS 和 OR 船的主甲板）的情况下，假设个人暴露程度较低，以及在室内（RS/OR 船的驾驶台）假设背景暴露程度较低。使用放置在所有五艘船上的光离子化探测器连续测量异丁烯当量的总挥发性有机化合物。使用被动热解吸管测量苯、甲苯、乙苯、二甲苯、萘和正己烷的全班次个人暴露情况。
第一天的个人测量结果显示，位于下风下风且靠近浮油的采样船 A、B 和 C 的参与者（0.14-0.59 ppm）暴露水平最高，其次是 RS 主甲板上的参与者（0.02-0.10 ppm）和驾驶台上的参与者（0.004-0.03 ppm）。第二天，采样船 A 的参与者苯暴露水平较高（0.87-1.52 ppm），而采样船 B 的参与者苯暴露水平较低（0.01-0.02 ppm），船舶上的参与者苯暴露水平较低（0.06-0.10 ppm），驾驶台上的参与者苯暴露水平较低（0.004-0.01 ppm）。总体而言，采样船上的参与者接触到的所有化合物的暴露水平都最高。轻质原油在采样船空气中的总挥发性有机化合物浓度是空气的五倍（最高 510 ppm），而重质原油是空气的 100 ppm），但在释放后 24 分钟内迅速下降至<20 ppm，表明接触时间短。
在轻质原油泄漏期间，下风下风靠近浮油处的苯个人暴露水平相对较高，一些参与者的浓度水平接近职业接触限值。对于此类研究中的大规模溢油情况，应在 30-60 分钟内开始清理工作，以允许蒸发，而在连续溢油时，当在浮油下风下风并靠近浮油处工作时，应使用适当的个人防护设备。
