Traffic-related occupational exposures to PM2.5, CO, and VOCs in Trujillo, Peru

A traffic-related exposure study was conducted among 58 workers (drivers, vendors, traffic police, and gas station attendants) and 10 office workers as controls in Trujillo, Peru, in July 2002. PM2.5 was collected, carbon monoxide (CO) was measured, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were sampled and analyzed. Newspaper vendors had the highest full-shift CO exposures (mean +/- SD: 11.4 +/- 8.9 ppm), while office workers had the lowest (2.0 +/- 1.7 ppm). Bus drivers had the highest full-shift PM2.5 exposures (161 +/- 8.9 microg/m3), while gas station attendants (64 +/- 26.5 microg/m3) and office workers (65 +/- 8.5 microg/m3) were the lowest. Full-shift benzene/toluene/ethylbenzene/xylene exposures (BTEX) among gas station attendants (111/254/43/214 microg/m3) were much higher than those among van and taxi drivers. Several of the traffic-related occupational exposures studied were elevated and are of occupational health concern.