Occupational exposure limits countries

The Nordic Expert Group for Criteria Documentation of Health Risks from Chemicals (NEG) consisted of scientific experts from the five Nordic countries representing different fields of science, such as toxicology, occupational hygiene, and occupational medicine. The main task was to produce criteria documents (Figure 3.10) to be used by the regulatory authorities of the Nordic countries as the scientific basis for setting Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) for chemical substances. 

Occupational exposure limits and guidelines for butadiene in several countries are given in Table 13. 

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) (1997) has not proposed any occupational exposure limit for 1,5-naphthalene diisocyanate in workplace air. Values ranging from 0.02 to 0.095 mg/m for a time-weighted average and from 0.01 to 0.07 mg/m- for short-term exposure limits have been used as standards or guidelines in several countries (International Labour Office, 1991 United States National Library of Medicine, 1997). 

There is no clear definition for the terms safe exposure limit (SEE) and occupational exposure limit (OEL), although the terms has scientific and legal interpretations and implications. The values of SEE or OEE vary from country to country around the world. It is well known that a rough rule of thumb is that the SEEs and OEEs are levels below which most industrial workers and the general population could get exposed to chemical substances on a regular basis with a low risk to health. It should be clearly understood that SEE and OEE are certainly not levels that are definitely safe and below which no harm is caused. 

Occupational Exposure Limits for Airborne Toxic Substances, 3rd ed. (Geneva ILO, 1991) (data from sixteen countries). 

Some subheadings relate to information that is national or regional in nature, for example EC number and occupational exposure limits . Suppliers or employers should include information under such SDS subheadings that is appropriate and relevant to the countries or regions for which the SDS is intended and into which the product is being supplied. 

International occupational exposure limits (OELs) for NMP generally range between 5 and 50 ppm as an 8h time-weighted average (TWA). The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has not established an 8 h TWA OEL for NMP. Several countries have established a short-term excursion limit of 75 ppm. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has identified NMP as a reproductive toxin and established maximum allowable daily limits for exposure of 3200 pg day (via inhalation) and 17 000pgday ... 

The occupational exposure limits assigned to phosgene may vary not only from country to country, but also from authority to authority. They are not only subject to change with the passage of time, but may also vary between different work environments. Some industrial companies follow their own standards, where these are more stringent than those set by the health and safety authorities [40]. Clearly, there are no sharp boundaries at which concentrations of phosgene are "safe" and at which some are "dangerous" to the human... 

Tabic 26.2 Occupational exposure limits adopted in different countries [4]... 

Risk management measures for new and existing chemicals, which may be taken after a risk/benefit evaluation, can be in the form of recommendations for safe use, labelling or occupational exposure limits. Most developed countries also have legal provisions for banning chemicals, or restricting their use to safe conditions. 

SYSTEMS FOR SETTING AND USING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE LIMITS IN EU 15 COUNTRIES... 

When drafting MAC values not only adv e health effects but also socioeconomic and technical feasibility fectors are taken into consideration. The discussion on HTP values is restricted tt> adverse healdi effects and measurem techniques for the substtmce. During the preparation of the recommendatitms, standards of other countries including OELs set at European level and the reasonii given for these standards are taken into consideration. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health decides on Occupational Exposure Limits acc ding to the proposal of the Advisory Committee for Occupational Healtix and Safety of Chemicals. 

Legal status of Occupational Exposure Limits. In most countries there are a number of OELs that are legally binding limits. Sometimes they are restricted to those that are in force as a result of compliance with EU Directives but in many cases the list is larger. In the guidance that accompanies OELs in all countries in which it was available, it is made clear that they are not regmri as safe limits and they are fi uently accompanied by recommendations to reduce exposures to as low as is possible below the limit. 

In industrialized countries, highly toxic pesticides, including OPs and CMs, are regulated and controlled in the work environment via occupational exposure limits and by restrictions or bans on the use of the most toxic compoond.s. 

A fundamental requirement of the CoSHH regulations is that the exposure of employees to hazardous substances should be prevented, or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. Exposure to harmful materials can occur by inhalation, by ingestion or by absorption through the skin but inhalation is usually the main route of entry into the body. The Health and Safety Commission sets Occupational Exposure Limits , or concentrations of substances in the air at or below which exposure control is considered to be adequate. The values for exposure limits are listed on the Oxford Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory home page (Oxford Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, 2006). Other countries have their own regulations for minimizing risks to users of chemicals and it is recommended that these are consulted before carrying out the tests described here. 

SO2 is a toxic gas and exposure limit values for workers should be taken into account. The occupational exposure limit in most countries is 2 ppm (5 mg/m ) over 8 hours. Sulphur- and oxygen-containing deposits may form on the furnace wall. Under unfavourable conditions these deposits can be immersed into the molten metal where they cause reactions leading to metal eruptions from the surface. Frequent removal of scaling can prevent this from happening. 

Occupational exposure limits vary from country to country. For lead in air, limits are generally set in the range 0.05 to 0.15 mg/m whilst lead in blood limits are normally between 50 and 70 pg/dl for men and between 20 and 40 pg/dl for women. 

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