EXPOSURE TO LOW-MOLECULAR POLYAMINES DURING ROAD PAVING

Fatty amine wetting agents are used to increase adhesion in bitumen em ulsions used in road paving, but commercial fatty amine products are c ontaminated with low molecular polyamines and alkanol polyamines which are released from the hot bitumen during paving. Polyamines and alkan ol polyamines are known to cause eye and respiratory tract irritation and skin sensitization. The exposure of road pavers to ethylenediamine , diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, hy droxyethylethylenediamine, hydroxyethyldiethylenetriamine, monoethanol amine and diethanolamine was studied, since most of these compounds we re found in the products used. Personal and static air sampling was pe rformed during road paving. A highly sensitive measurement technique u tilizing naphthylisothiocyanate-coated sorbents and filters was used. Exposure was found to be in the range <0.02-0.5 mg m(-3), as total con centration of low molecular polyamines and alkanol polyamines. Since t he polyamines and alkanol polyamines in question are highly irritating they may contribute to the symptoms experienced by the road pavers.