EFFECT OF THE REDUCTION OF SKIN CONTAMINATION ON THE INTERNAL DOSE OFCREOSOTE WORKERS EXPOSED TO POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONS

Ten creosote-exposed workers of a wood impregnation plant participated in this study, which took place in two consecutive weeks on a Monday, after a weekend off. On one of the two days each worker wore Tyvek(R) coveralls underneath his normal workclothes. Dermal contamination mea surements (pyrene on exposure pads) and biological monitoring (urinary 1-OH-pyrene) were performed to measure the reduction of both the skin contamination and the internal dose. The total pyrene skin contaminat ion of workers not wearing coveralls ranged between 47 and 1510 mug . d-1 (0.2-7.5 mumol . d-1). On the average, the coveralls reduced the p yrene contamination on the workers' skin by about 35 (SD 63)%. The exc reted amount of 1-OH-pyrene in urine decreased significantly from 6.6 to 3.2 mug (30.2 to 14.7 nmol). Multiple regression analysis showed th at skin contamination by polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons is the main d eterminant of the internal exposure dose of creosote workers.