Chemical characterisation of bitumen fumes

Road-surfacing, asphalting and weatherproofing work exposes workers to fumes that are complex mixes of hydrocarbons due to the bitumen or asphalt being worked while it is hot. The method MetroPol 123 recently developed at the Pollutants Metrology Division has been validated for measuring exposure of workers on roadwork sites. This method needs to be extended not only to higher exposures but also to lower exposures. However, the detection technique that is used is not sufficiently sensitive for exploring lower concentrations. Using more sensitive detection techniques requires good knowledge of the chemical composition of the fumes. The aim of this study is thus to characterise emissions from various bitumens produced in the laboratory by using a system for generating and for condensing fumes in order to select the detection conditions that are appropriate for all types of exposure.
This study, conducted in partnership with a geology laboratory that is specialised in chemical analysis of petroleum products, will be the subject of a doctoral thesis, and will also make it possible to identify any tracer compounds that are common to all of the bitumens and that could be used as atmospheric exposure markers.