International Agency for Research on Cancer

Bitumens and Bitumen Emissions, and Some N- and S-heterocyclic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Iarc Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risks to Humans) International Agency for Research on Cancer 1st edition

This one-hundred-and-third volume of the IARC Monographs contains evaluations of the carcinogenic hazard to humans of bitumens and bitumen emissions, and of some N- and S-heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (referred to as azaarenes and thiaarenes, respectively). This Monograph concerns only bitumens produced by petroleum refining and not naturally occurring bitumens. Thus the term "bitumens", as used in this volume, refers to the products derived from residues resulting from vacuum distillation of selected petroleum crude oils. These materials are called "asphalt", "petroleum asphalt" or "asphalt cement" in North America; in this volume, the term "asphalt" is used to describe mixtures of bitumen and mineral matter. Bitumens must be distinguished from coal tars, which are products of the destructive distillation of coals, and also from coal-tar pitches, which are residues from the distillation of coal tars.