Retrospective Quantitative Assessment of Trichloroethylene Exposure of Workers atAircraft Maintenance Facilities at Hill Air Force Base Through the Use of Modeling

摘要

Monte Carlo simulation and source-receptor modeling are used to estimate the TCEexposures encountered by select workers at aircraft maintenance facilities at Hill Air Force Base between 1955 and 1979. An epidemiological study of this group, a retrospective cohort study of 14,457 workers who were employed at the base for a minimum of one year between 1952 and 1956, was headed by Dr. R. Spirtas of the National Cancer Institute to evaluate mortality associated with occupational exposure. One of the major conclusions of the study was that TCE 'probably does not pose a strong carcinogenic risk for man.' In the Spirtas study, historic exposure levels were not quantitatively estimated. Instead, indices of exposure to TCE were assigned to reflect relative differences in exposure levels. It is the objective of this research effort to quantitatively estimate specific worker exposures, thus adding to the weight of evidence necessary to classify TCE as a human carcinogen or otherwise. Exposure assessment, Monte Carlo simulation, Hill Air Force Base, Historical exposure estimation, Trichloroethylene, TCE, Computer simulation, Multi-point Diffusion Analysis, Occupational Exposure, Vapor degreasers.