Scientific and practical considerations for the development of occupational exposure limits (OELs) for chemical substances (original) (raw)
Related papers
Rules and recent trends for setting health-based occupational exposure limits for chemicals
International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
The working environment is the special case of the non-natural environment created by man in which the increased production activity brings about the concentration of stimulators particularly aggressive to the human organism, such as chemical hazards, noise, vibration, extreme temperatures, and finally, intensified psychological and emotional stress. Depending on the nature and intensity, working environment factors have been classified into dangerous, harmful and annoying. The workers are more and more frequently exposed to dangerous chemicals in the working environment. The chemicals cause many diseases including, in the 1st place, respiratory insufficiency, inflammatory skin conditions, psychoneurological disorders and neoplastic diseases. Occupational exposure limit values (OELs), the main criteria for occupational exposure assessment, constitute an important factor for the safe use of chemicals in the working environment. In Poland, to date there are 524 chemical substances and 19 dusts for which maximum admissible concentrations (MAC) have been established.
Occupational exposure limits: A comparative study
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2008
Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are used as an important regulatory instrument to protect workers' health from adverse effects of chemical exposures. The OELs mirror the outcome of the risk assessment and risk management performed by the standard setting actor. In this study we compared the OELs established by 18 different organisations or national regulatory agencies. The OELs were compared with respect to: (1) what chemicals have been selected and (2) the average level of exposure limits for all chemicals. Our database contains OELs for a total of 1341 substances; of these 25 substances have OELs from all 18 organisations while more than one-third of the substances are only regulated by one organisation. The average level of the exposure limits has declined during the past 10 years for 6 of the 8 organisations in our study for which historical data were available; it has increased for Poland and remained nearly unchanged for Sweden. The average level of OELs differs substantially between organisations; the US OSHA exposure limits are (on average) nearly 40 % higher than those of Poland. The scientific or policy-related motivations for these differences remain to be analysed.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2015
Occupational exposure limits (OELs) serve as health-based benchmarks against which measured or estimated workplace exposures can be compared. In the years since the introduction of OELs to public health practice, both developed and developing countries have established processes for deriving, setting, and using OELs to protect workers exposed to hazardous chemicals. These processes vary widely, however, and have thus resulted in a confusing international landscape for identifying and applying such limits in workplaces. The occupational hygienist will encounter significant overlap in coverage among organizations for many chemicals, while other important chemicals have OELs developed by few, if any, organizations. Where multiple organizations have published an OEL, the derived value often varies considerably-reflecting differences in both risk policy and risk assessment methodology as well as access to available pertinent data. This article explores the underlying reasons for variability in OELs, and recommends the harmonization of risk-based methods used by OEL-deriving organizations. A framework is also proposed for the identification and systematic evaluation of OEL resources, which occupational hygienists can use to support risk characterization and risk management decisions in situations where multiple potentially relevant OELs exist.
Recommendation of Occupational Exposure Limits (2001—2002)
Journal of Occupational Health, 2001
The Japan Society for Occupational Health (JSOH) recommends the Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) as reference values for preventing adverse health effects on workers caused by occupational exposure to chemical substances, continuous or intermittent noise, impulsive or impact noise, heat stress, cold stress, whole-body vibration, hand-arm vibration and time-varying electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields. Characteristics of OELs and Instructions for Users 1. OELs should be applied by individuals well-trained and experienced in occupational health.
The Importance of Human Data in the Establishment of Occupational Exposure Limits
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 2002
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2003
The objective of setting occupational exposure limits (OELs) in the European Union (EU) was introduced into EU legislation some 20 years ago. In 1991, the first set of 27 indicative limit values (ILVs) was proposed by the European Commission (EC). At about the same time, the EC assembled a group of independent scientists concerned with the derivation of OELs. In 1995, the status of this group was formalised into the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL). The SCOEL plays a key role in setting OELs in the EU. This committee recommends to the EC “health-based” or “pragmatic” OELs. “Health-based” OELs are recommended for chemicals for which a threshold dose for adverse effects can be identified, and “pragmatic” OELs for chemicals for which such a threshold dose is assumed not to exist. Special attention is paid to the way in which the SCOEL evaluates carcinogens. A separate committee, the Advisory Committee for Safety, Hygiene, and Health at Work (ACSHH), consisti...