Toxic chemicals hygiene standards

Hygiene standards are employed as indicators of risk to man from inhalation of toxic or nuisance chemicals at work. 

H. Safety considerations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), US Department of Labor, standard entitled Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (29 CFR 1910.1450) makes it necessary to address safety issues in the SOP. The standard requires laboratories that use hazardous chemicals to maintain employee exposures at or below the permissible exposure limits specified for these chemicals in 29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart Z. Hazards associated with any specific chemicals used in a method must be addressed so that the user has the information needed to follow the Chemical Hygiene Plan for their laboratory. The method developer should limit the use of hazardous chemicals where feasible. The use of toxic and/or carcinogenic reagents should be avoided or eliminated as much as possible. Additionally, the cost of disposal is increasing and could impact the practicality of a method. Material Safety Data Sheets for the analyte(s) and any unusual or hazardous reagents should be provided for the user. 

Chemical family—A group of compounds with related chemical and physical properties. Chemical hygiene plan—A written plan that addresses job procedures, work equipment, protective clothing, and training necessary to protect employees from chemical and toxic hazards, required by OSHA under its laboratory standard. 

This chapter covered only a small proportion of the vast number of chemicals that can be found in the workplace. For more definitive information on a wide variety of toxic substances, the reader is referred to standard references on industrial toxicology. Of these, one of the most useful for a quick summary of toxic effects and management is Chemical Hazards in the Workplace by N. H. Proctor and J. P. Hughes. Definitive reviews of many chemicals are published by the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the National Safety Council among others. Sources are given in Appendix III. 

The evaluation of hazards posed to human health by toxic airborne chemicals is one of the common tasks employed in industrial hygiene. This process requires the collection of air samples to estimate air concentrations of specific substances inhaled by workers which can then be compared with standards and guides of acceptable exposure. Thus air sampling directly influences the formulation of important decisions. If air samples underestimate exposures, the consequence may be death or occupational disease. Conversely, overestimating exposures may result in the institution of unnecessary controls. Since either form of error is undesirable, it is fundamentally important that air sampling accurately define the extent of hazard. This requires that air samples be collected according to scientific, unbiased schemes for estimating exposures to toxic airborne chemicals. 

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