ABSTRACT
The ultimate goal for measuring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in workplace environments is the introduction of regulatory standards to control worker exposure to specific PAH compounds, or groups of these PAH compounds, that provide measures of health risk. It seems sufficient to use a proxy method for PAH measurements, i.e., a method that simply measures one parameter or one compound that in some manner is representative of the very large and complex group of PAH compounds found in workplace samples. Without the knowledge of the PAH profiles and their variation at different plant locations, it becomes questionable to concentrate on a single proxy, such as benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). For processes using similar carbonaceous materials and process conditions, similar PAH profiles are observed. In those cases where the nature of the profile has been investigated and its constancy has been proven, a proxy compound or compounds can be chosen which will be indicative of the concentration of all PAH.
