Field sampling investigations within the road paving industry.

This article reinforces data on exposure levels that workers experience within the European road paving industry (mineral and organic aerosols, organic vapors). By means of paired field surveys, this article focuses on comparative experiments dedicated to a personal sampler commonly used in this industry-the 37-mm cassette. This filter holder is compared with a sampler specifically designed by the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) for the inhalable fraction of airborne matter. The results reinforce previously published comparative data demonstrating that the total 37-mm cassette and the inhalable IOM sampler give similar results, with no statistical difference, for the collection of field organic aerosols emitted from hot bitumen fumes. Exposure levels are compared with some previous studies, and an estimate of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content in particulates is given for common paving operations.