Abstract
M.Tech. (Environmental Health)
Bitumen is defined as black or dark brown material derived from distillation of crude oil. It contains small amounts of nitrogen, sulphur, oxygen and trace amounts of metals (Sabita, 2011). At solid state, bitumen does not present any health hazard. Bitumen is valuable to engineers, because it is strong, readily adhesive, waterproofing and durable material. It is mostly used in road construction and pipe manufacturing. During its manufacture, storage, transportation and use, bitumen is heated, giving off hydrocarbon emissions, to which workers may be exposed (Riley, 2004). When bitumen is heated, it releases fumes that employees can be exposed to when using it, thus the current study aimed to investigate the effects of bitumen exposure on the respiratory function of Rand Water employees at the Pipeline division; determine the level of exposure to employees; as well as the time it takes for employees to become exposed to heated bitumen. Bitumen is used in many applications; however 90% is used as road paving material. Rand Water employees use bitumen at construction sites and fabrication shops to protect the outer layer of the pipe. The data was collected through the use of questionnaires and medical records. The results showed that 25% of the employees suffered from respiratory-related illness, and the remaining 75% did not report any respiratory problems. The findings also showed that there was no relationship between the years of exposure and the duration employees get exposed to bitumen, since some employees who used bitumen for more than ten years did not have respiratory problems. From the results, it can be concluded that there is little evidence that exposure to bitumen can have effects on the respiratory function of exposed employees. Even though the evidence is exploratory rather than comprehensive, good working practices still need to be considered when heating bitumen for commercial use. It was recommended that employers reduce their bitumen exposure to recommended level, and provide employees with proper PPE to protect them against chemicals released during heating of bitumen.