Studies Commissioned at the Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology
Bitumen Fume Health Effects Research
As part of an ongoing commitment on health and safety in the bitumen industry, Eurobitume and ARBIT, have commissioned a major research program to clarify issues relating to the potential health effects of inhalation of fumes from hot bitumen.
The program has been developed in consultation with various regulatory and advisory bodies in Europe and will be undertaken at the Fraunhofer Institute in Hannover, Germany, a world-renowned research center for inhalation toxicology. Specific questions that will be addressed are:
- Does exposure to bitumen fume cause cancer in animals?
- What are the health effects in animals, following long-term exposure to bitumen fume?
- Is there a dose threshold for bitumen related toxicological effects?
- Are the effects and mechanisms of toxicity relevant to the human situation?
The core study will investigate the carcinogenic and long-term toxicity potential, in rats exposed to fumes from hot bitumen for 2 years. The fumes will be generated from a condensate, collected from a hot bitumen storage tank, and have been optimised to match as closely as possible the composition of fumes to which workers are exposed during road paving operations. Running concurrently with the main inhalation study will be two series of mechanistic investigations, to provide additional information to assist in the interpretation of results, in terms of relevance to humans.
The first will look at the role of tissue irritation in the development of effects on the lung and upper respiratory tract. The second will undertake a number of specialist investigations at a cellular level, to provide detailed information on toxicological mechanisms involved in the development of any potential cancer effects observed in the main study. These investigations include assessment of DNA adduct formation, gene expression profiling and urinary metabolites. Both mechanistic studies will also generate important data on dose response relationships for any effects observed. It is hoped that some of the parameters measured in the investigative studies will also be incorporated in planned human workplace investigations eg by the BGFA in Bochum, Germany, to allow cross correlation between animal and human findings.
The results of this research program will provide valuable information to address concerns expressed by the German regulatory body AGS and its toxicology advisory committee BKTox, in relation to the carcinogenic potential of bitumen fumes. The data will also be used to assist the German MAK Commission in a re-evaluation of the current cancer classification of bitumen fumes and aerosols, and the future IARC re-evaluation of bitumen. Other regulatory initiatives, such as the USA HPV Chemicals program and European Chemicals Risk Assessment will also benefit from these results.
This program will be funded by Eurobitume and ARBIT and represents a financial commitment of nearly 3 million Euros. The experimental phase will start in March 2003 and end in March 2005. Results should be available during 2006.
For further details please contact:
Eurobitume, Bd du Souverain 165, B-1160, Brussels, Belgium Tel +32 2 5669140
ARBIT, Steindamm 55, 20099 Hamburg, Germany Tel +49 40 2802939