Occupational exposure controls

Drevenkar V, Stengl B, Tkalcevic B, et al. 1983. Occupational exposure control by simultaneous determination of N-methylcarbamates and organophosphorus pesticide residues in human urine. Int J Environ Anal Chem 14 215-230. 

Occupational exposure Control of exposure limits US-limit for coke oven emissions (67) TLV for coal conversion (6)... 

NIOSH, Criteriafor a recommended standard Occupational Exposure to n-Filkane Monothiols, U.S. Dept, of Health, Education and Welfare, PubUc Health Service, Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Sept. 1978. 

Permissible Exposure Limits in Air. Occupational exposure to insoluble tungsten needs to be controlled so that employees are not exposed to insoluble tungsten at a concentration greater than 5 mg tungsten/m air, determined as a TWA concentration for up to a 10-h workshift in a 40-h workweek. An STEL value of 10 mg/m has been set by ACGIH in 1983. 

Symposium on Toxicology, Carcinogenesis, and Human Health Effects of 1,3-Butadiene (265). Detailed comparisons of various personal monitoring devices are available (266), and control of occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene has been reviewed (267). ... 

Hawthorne, A., et al. (1987) Models for estimating organic emissions from building materials formaldehyde example. Atmos. Environ. 21, No. 2. Lewis, R. G., et al. (1986) Monitoring for non-occupational exposure to pesticides in indoor and personal respiratory air. Presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Air Pollution Control Association, Minneapolis, MN. 

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH). Guidance on Setting In-House Occupational Exposure Limits (Regulation 7 (1990)... 

Thus, there is a clear need to establish the relationship between the health effects of hazardous chemical agents in the environment and the level of occupational exposure to the body by means of an occupational exposure limit, in which a reference figure for the concentration of a chemical agent is set. In fact, occupational exposure limits (OELs) have been a feature of the industrialized world since the early 1950s. They were introduced, primarily in the United States, at a time when measures to prevent occupational diseases were considered more beneficial than compensating victims, and in this sense OELs have played an important part in the control of occupational illnesses. 

In a case-control study of the relation between occupational exposures to various suspected estrogenic chemicals and the occurrence of breast cancer, the breast cancer odds ratio (OR) was not elevated above unity (OR=0.8 95% 01=0.2-3.2) for occupational exposure to endosulfan compared to unexposed controls (Aschengrau et al. 1998) however, the sample sizes were very small (three exposed seven not exposed), and co-exposure to other unreported chemicals also reportedly occurred. Both of these factors may have contributed to the high degree of uncertainty in the OR indicated by the wide confidence interval. 

In the UK (under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988) there are maximum exposure limits (MEL) and occupational exposure standards (OES) ... 

Exposures require control such that nearly all people would not suffer any adverse health effects even if exposed to a specific substance (or mixture of substances) day after day. For certain substances there are set occupational exposure limits refer to page 74. 

From the Control of Substances Hazardous toHealth (COSHH) Regulations (1988). OES, occupational exposure standard QAC, quaternary ammonium compound. 

Platinum is used as a catalyst for nitric and sulphuric acid production, in petroleum refining and in catalytic mufflers to control air pollution. Platinum salts can cause respiratory complaints, asthma, and platinosis , an allergic response. Allergic dermatitis may also result from exposure to soluble platinum salts and once subjects have been sensitized it generally precludes continued occupational exposure at any level. The 8 hr TWA OEL for platinum metal is 5 mg/m but for soluble platinum salts it is only 0.002 mg/m. Handling precautions must include containment where possible, ventilation, personal protection, and the screening out of individuals who have become sensitized. 

N10SH. 1973. Criteria for a recommended standard.Occupational exposure to trichloroethylene. Cincinnati, OH U S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 

The a-tocopherol, P-carotene (ATBC) Cancer Prevention study was a randomised-controlled trial that tested the effects of daily doses of either 50 mg (50 lU) vitamin E (all-racemic a-tocopherol acetate), or 20 mg of P-carotene, or both with that of a placebo, in a population of more than 29,000 male smokers for 5-8 years. No reduction in lung cancer or major coronary events was observed with any of the treatments. What was more startling was the unexpected increases in risk of death from lung cancer and ischemic heart disease with P-carotene supplementation (ATBC Cancer Prevention Study Group, 1994). Increases in the risk of both lung cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality were also observed in the P-carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET), which tested the effects of combined treatment with 30 mg/d P-carotene and retinyl pahnitate (25,000 lU/d) in 18,000 men and women with a history of cigarette smoking or occupational exposure to asbestos (Hennekens et al, 1996). 

As with the case of mass, there are several approaches to metrics for this aspect. One can simply sum numbers and/or mass of chemicals possessing hazards in different areas for example, process safety, occupational exposure, or environmental hazard. Typically, most companies will use a banding approach for materials that allows a quick identification of the hazard category, and usually marries hazard with a suggested control approach for example, layers of protection, pressure relief valves, and so on. One is then able to rapidly identify issues and potential opportunities for elimination, substitution, or control. 

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