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conferenceseries.com
Volume 9 Journal of Earth Science & Climatic Change Climate Change Conference 2018
October 15-16, 2018
October 15-16, 2018 Dubai, UAE
7th International Conference on
Climate Change and Medical Entomology
An occupational health risk assessment for exposure to BTEX: A case study of informal traders in a
metro centre (taxi rank) in South Africa
Raeesa Moolla and M Dubazana
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Many South African commuters use minibus taxis daily and are connected to the informal transport network through
metro centres informally known as ‘taxi ranks’. A taxi rank forms part of an economic nexus for many informal traders,
where they work alone in designated areas along the periphery of the taxi rank. Consequently, informal traders are at potential
risk of adverse health effects associated with the inhalation of exhaust fumes from the taxis. Of particular concern is a group
of hazardous volatile organic compounds, known as BTEX (viz. benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes). The BTEX
compounds are known to have a high level of toxicity, both in acute and chronic exposure situations. Thus, an occupational
health risk assessment for informal traders exposed to BTEX compounds was investigated. The health risk assessment included
a questionnaire and three active sampling campaigns. The sampling campaigns were conducted using the synspec spectras
gas chromatography 955 instrument. Results indicated that the average ambient concentrations were 8.46 ppb, 0.63 ppb, 1.27
ppb and 1.0 ppb for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes respectively; which were above acceptable South African Air
Quality Standards (i.e. 8-hour-running-average). The daily variation of BTEX compounds also indicated increased benzene
and xylene concentrations when ambient temperatures increased, a concern with future climate fluctuations. The average
cancer risk calculated for the informal traders was 9.46 x 10-3. Although this was an acceptable cancer risk, in a number of
individual cases, there were incidences of unacceptable risk to the cumulative exposure of BTEXtotal.
Biography
Raeesa Moolla attained her PhD at the age of 30, at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she is now a tenured lecturer. Her research interests lie in hotspot
monitoring and modelling of urban-scale air pollution and its impacts on human health; specifically related to VOC emissions and pollution from the transport
sectors. She is also involved in surface and tropospheric ozone research; and is currently participating in the IGAC-led TOAR project. Dr Moolla currently has over
25 publications and conference proceedings to her name, with an additional five publications being reviewed by recognized peer-reviewed journals.
Raeesa Moolla et al., J Earth Sci Clim Change 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.4172/2157-7617-C4-048