Hazardous Substance Exposures

Joint Commission Hazardous Material and Waste Categories 

Concentration of hazardous substance Duration of exposure Available ventilation Tanperature of the chemical Tonperature of the surrounding air 

Air Contaminant Standards A term used by OSHA to describe hazardous materials regulated by spedlic substance standards or exposure tables of 29 CFR 1910, Subpart Z. Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) The maximum allowed OSHA exposure for workers working 8 hours during a 40-hour week. 

Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL) The exposure allowed for a one-time excursion (normally measured in a 15-minute period). 

Ceiling The maximum amount of an airborne concentration exposure. 

Threshold Limit Value (TLV) A voluntary time-weighted average (TWA) exposure limit published by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). 

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Radiation from a dirty bomb can emanate from a blast site in a contaminated plume of smoke or in contaminated debris. Radiation cannot be detected without special instruments, and radiation exposures can occur even without direct contact. Therefore, leaving a damaged building does not eliminate the risk of exposure. An effective tool to minimize or eliminate the potential for hazardous substance exposure is to move away from the site of the attack and into a building that provides protection from airborne contaminants. 

The ATSDR works to protect adverse human health effects from hazardous substance exposures from waste sites, unplanned toxic releases, and pollution sources present in the environment. Congress intended ATSDR to perform functions that include public health assessments of waste sites, health consultations concerning specific hazardous substances, applied research in support of public-health assessments, information development/dissemination, and education/training concerning hazardous substances. The agency reports administratively to the CDC. 

A substance is considered a health hazard if exposure through skin or eye contact, inhalation, or ingestion causes temporary or permanent injury. The health effects to the exposed individual may be acute or chronic, resulting from repeated long-term exposure to low concentrations of a hazardous substance. Exposure to excessive temperatures is also considered a health hazard. Extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which is a Hfe threatening condition. 

OSHA has a TWA standaid on a weight of Sb basis of 0.5 mg/for antimony in addition to a standard TWA of 2.5 mg/m for fluoride. NIOSH has issued a criteria document on occupational exposure to inorganic fluorides. Antimony pentafluoride is considered by the EPA to be an extremely hazardous substance and releases of 0.45 kg or more reportable quantity (RQ) must be reported. Antimony triduoride is on the CERCLA bst and releasing of 450 kg or more RQ must be reported. 

For hazardous substances not classified as carcinogens, where protection of exposure is not reasonably practicable, adequate control should be achieved by measures odier than personal protection, so far as is reasonably practicable. Tliis is subject to the degree of exposure, circumstances of use of the substance, informed knowledge about the hazards and current technical developments. Any combination of the measures listed in Table 5.22 are applicable. 

Table 5.22 Measures for the control of exposure to hazardous substances not classified as carcinogens...

Safety issues include threats to the safety of workers or nearby communities during the implementation or operation of the corrective measures (i.e., fire, explosion and exposure to hazardous substances). 

The occupational physician for a project should be identified and, for HAZWOPER jobs, is required to be board certified in occupational medicine [4]. For any job that involves exposure to hazardous substances, it is important that you locate and use an occupational physician (sometimes referred to in the field as an Oc Doc) who is knowledgeable about the hazards that your workers are exposed to. Sometimes in medicine, as in many other fields, working with a physician who specializes in the hazard that your company deals with can be a lifesaver. 

Medical monitoring and surveillance programs enable occupational health professionals to identify adverse health effects caused by exposure to hazardous substances and conditions and to discuss plans with site workers, industrial hygienists, safety professionals, and line management to prevent exposures and protect workers. These goals can be accomplished through two objectives ... 

HAZWOPER, related DOE, and the Army Corps of Engineers rules and requirements stipulate that employees involved in any of the following activities who have a reasonable possibility of exposure to hazardous substances or health hazards at specified levels (see 1910.120 [f [2]) should be included in a medical surveillance program ... 

Nonemergency medical care should be arranged for hazardous waste site personnel who are experiencing health effects resulting from an exposure to hazardous substances. Off-site medical care should make sure that any potential job-related symptoms or illnesses are evaluated in the context of the employee s exposure. Off-site medical personnel should investigate and treat non-job-related illnesses that may put the employee at risk because of task requirements [1]. 

The levels of PPE discussed provide controls of the hazardous substance based on the degree of worker exposure. As we have discussed before, PPE is only acceptable as a hazard control measure in the following situations ... 

In addition, responses to releases of hazardous substances where there is no potential health or safety hazard (i.e., fire, explosion, or chemical exposure) are not considered to be emergency responses. Keep in mind that qualified personnel who are trained to clean up incidental... 

Any employee medical complaints related to exposure to hazardous substances and [OSHA Reference. 120(ii)(Q]... 

Has the employer implemented the use of engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment to reduce and maintain employee exposure to or below published exposure levels for hazardous substances and health hazards not regulated by 29 CFR Part 1910, Subparts G and Z (e.g., heat stress, lifting hazards) [OSHA Reference. 120(g)(2)]... 

Design criteria with respect to health-hazardous gases could alternatively be given as an accepted daily exposure of contaminant (for each hazardous substance, or a combination of substances). 

It should be noted that the primary purpose of the ventilation systems described for abrasive blasting rooms and hospital isolation rooms is to prevent or minimize exposure to hazardous substances in those persons working outside the blasting or isolation room. The ventilation system may also reduce exposure for workers inside these rooms, but often the reduction is not sufficient to eliminate the need for respiratory protection. 

ASTDR s mission is to prevent exposure and adverse human health effects and diminished quality of life associated with exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites, unplanned releases, and other sources of pollution present in the environment. 

The task analysis is performed on tasks 2, 3, and 4. Tasks 1 and 5 were eliminated from the analysis because they did not involve any direct exposure to hazardous substances (from the initial screening analysis described in Section 2.1). The analysis considers operations 2.1 to 2.5, 3.1 to 3.2 and 4.1 to 4.5 in Figure 5.6. 

Chapter 1 Public Health Statement The Public Health Statement can be a useful tool for educating patients about possible exposure to a hazardous substance. It explains a substance s relevant toxicologic properties in a nontechnical, question-and-answer format, and it includes a review of the general health effects observed following exposure. 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health clinics. These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. 

This section focuses on exposures from conception to maturity at 18 years in humans. Differences from adults in susceptibility to hazardous substances are discussed in 3.7 Children s Susceptibility. 

EL = emissions level ERA = Environmental Protection Agency HSDB = Hazardous Substances Data Bank lARC = International Agency for Research on Cancer IRIS = Integrated Risk Information System NIOSH = National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health OEL = occupational exposure limit OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration PEL = permissible exposure limit RAC = reference air concentration REL = recommended exposure limit RCRA = Resource Conservation and Recovery Act RfD = reference dose TLV = threshold limit value TWA = time-weighted average WHO = World Health Organization... 

Minimal Risk Level (MRL)—An estimate of daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without an appreciable risk of adverse noncancer health effects over a specified route and duration of exposure. 

MRLs are derived for hazardous substances using the no-observed-adverse-effect level/uncertainty factor approach. They are below levels that might cause adverse health effects in the people most sensitive to such chemical-induced effects. MRLs are derived for acute (1-14 days), intermediate (15-364 days), and chronic (365 days and longer) durations and for the oral and inhalation routes of exposure. Currently, MRLs for the dermal route of exposure are not derived because ATSDR has not yet identified a method suitable for this route of exposure. MRLs are generally based on the most sensitive chemical-induced end point considered to be of relevance to humans. Serious health effects (such as irreparable damage to the liver or kidneys, or birth defects) are not used as a basis for establishing MRLs. Exposure to a level above the MRL does not mean that adverse health effects will occur. 

MRLs are derived for hazardous substances using the no-observed-adverse-effect level/uncertainty factor approach. They are below levels that might cause adverse health effects in the people most sensitive to such chemical-induced effects. MRLs are derived for acute (1-14 days), intermediate (15-364 days), and chronic (365 days and longer) durations and for the oral and inhalation routes of exposure. 

The employer s duty is to ensure that the exposure of employees to a hazardous substance is prevented or, if this is not reasonably practicable, adequately Qontrolled. 

A) The examination, summary, and interpretation of available toxicologic information and epidemiologic evaluations on a hazardous substance to ascertain the levels of significant human exposure for the substance and the associated acute, subacute, and chronic health effects ... 

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