SCOEL

Bolt, H.M., Huici-Montagud, A. (2008) Strategy of the scientific committee of occupational exposure limits (SCOEL) in the derivation of occupational exposure limits for carcinogens and mutagens. Archives of Toxicology 82(1) 61-64. 

SCOEL, Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits for Lead (2000). Recommenda-tionfrom Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits for Lead and its Inorganic Compounds. EU Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits. 

Health based values and what is technically feasible. Recent discourse on the OELs that are used in practice in the coimtries of the EU, goes to some lengths to be clear that they do not represent safe levels of exposure for all workers, nor is it intended that they should set a limit below which it is unnecessary or undesirable to reduce exposures fiirther. The Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) is quite clear about this, stating for example ... 

In 1995, the status of the SEG was formalised, becoming Ihe SCOEL. Today the committee has 21 members from all Member States with full scientific expstise needed for this task, The SCOEL provides the Commission with r ommendations on "health based OELs. Based on those recommendations, a second list of ILVs was published in 1996 (Directive 96/94/EC). ... 

The Commission appoints these memb after ctmsulting the legiective Member States, having regard to the need to cover all relevant aspects of the remmittre s mik. The tenn of office fin SCOEL mend>ei5 is duee and tfaeir nam are published in die Official... 

The SCOEL con pris s e qierts in chemistty, toxicology, epidemiology, occiqiational m ci] and industrial hygiene and has general con tence in setting OEI.S. 

Procedures and bodies involved. The SCOEL starts its work by evaluating criteria documents from different sources. The Commission, through publication in the Official Journal, announces the identified base document with the request for further data, especially that which is unpublished, to be provided to the Commission, to guarantee the completeness of the data for the chemical agent concerned. 

The SCOEL evaluates the scientific dossier and the supplementary data for the identification of the critical health effects and then proposes a recommendation for a health-based limit value in a summary document, which in addition to the recommendation for an OEL, also contains further information on the basic data, a description of the critical effect, the extrapolation techniques used, and any data on possible risks to human health. The technical feasibility of monitoring exposure is also noted. Furthermore the SCOEL identifies important gaps in the data and the need for more research. Once the Committee agrees the summary document the Commission makes it public to interested parties with the request for health based scientific comments and eventually further data. After a period of about six months allowed for comments, the SCOEL rediscusses the document in the light of the comments received and adopts the final version, which is then published by the Commission. 

When the Commission services have received recommendations from the SCOEL they are in a position to develop legal proposals for OELs. At this stage and according to the type of OEL, the Commission services will seek relevant technical and socio-economic data. If any of the interested parties is aware that there are such data which can be shown to be pertinent to the development of a... 

Information given by the Belgian member of the SCOEL and the representative of the Belgian Government in the AHG Limit Values. 

SCOEL (EU), ACGIH (US), MAK (Germany), DECOS (Netherlands) and Nordic Expert Group (NEG). 

Inforroation is taken from the website of the MGnistiy Ht //www.vn.fi/stm/english/mdex.htm. SCOEL, Nor c Expert Group, ACGIH, MAK-Komission, DECOS, IPCS Health Criteria, HSE... 

In order to better understand the rather complex procedure for adoption of European exposure limits, a comprehensive description is given below [6-43]. As mentioned above, the SCOEL, which was formed based on a decision of the commission in 1995 [6-44], plays a dominating role. It operates at the request of the European commission and supplies it with proposals, opinions, and advice related to the toxicological evaluation of chemicals and their effects on safety and health. Concerning limit values, it can prepare specified proposals for... 

Stage 1 Preparation and evaluation of a scientific dossier on a substance Stage 2 Recommendation of an OEL from the SCOEL to the European commission... 

In February 2006 a second list of indicative occupational exposure limit values was established by directive 2006/15/EC. A total of 33 substances, which have been evaluated by the SCOEL on the basis of the latest scientific data, are listed in the annex to this directive (see Table 6.8). 

The European Union Scientific Committee on Occupational Eiqiosure Limits (SCOEL) recommends a lower biologic limit for lead than European... 

Council Directive 98/24/EC of 1998. The SCOEL recommends a BLL of 30 tig/dL to prevent adverse neurobehavioral effects and signs of male reproductive toxicity that occur at BLLs of 40 pg/dL and higher. The SCOEL could not identify a threshold for impairment of cognitive development in newborns and infants and indicated that exposure of fertile women to lead should. .. be minimised (SCOEL 2002, p. 13). 

SCOEL Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (Emopean Union)... 

The European Commission is advised about OELs by the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) [83]. As a result legally binding as well as indicative OELs (as an indication of what should be achieved) are laid down in European Directives. Each Member State in the European Union establishes then-own national OELs, based on the European Directives. The corresponding national lists usually include more substances than the Directive. National OELs can again be legally binding or indicative limits. 

Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL). OSHA publications 7. https //osha.europa.eu/en/publications/magazine/6... 

Directive. Member States are obliged to introduce an occupational exposure limit for these substances in accordance with national legislation and practice that takes the lOELV into account. lOELVs are based on recommendations by the European Commission s Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Eimits (SCOEL). These European limits are incorporated into the list of WEE standards. 

SCOEL Scientific committee on occupational exposure limits (EU)... 

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