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At Work Exposure Limits PDF
At Work Exposure Limits PDF
EH 262
Objectives
y Become familiar with exposure limits,
their basis, and application in the
workplace.
y Be able to understand the various
acronyms, their basis and application
y Understand the regulatory structure as it
relates to exposure limits.
y Develop the ability to perform exposure
calculations through examples
ACGIH
(Post Litigation Statements
Bold added by JHS)
TLV-C
TLV-STEL
TLV-TWA
ppm
Time
TLVs (continued)
y “Skin” notation -- Skin contact can be a major contributor to
overall exposure. Chemicals that readily penetrate the skin often
have high octanol-water partition coefficients. Other
factors such as MW also impact the skin Permeability
Constant (Kp in cm/hr).
Brief R, Scala R. Occupational Exposure Limits for Novel Work Schedules. American Industrial Hygiene Association
Journal. 36:467-469, 1975
y No adjustment of the exposure standard is made for substances assigned with a Peak Limitation, e.g.,
chlorine or hydrogen chloride
Unusual Workshifts,
Weekly Adjustments:
Brief and Scala Model
Brief R, Scala R. Occupational Exposure Limits for Novel Work Schedules. American Industrial Hygiene Association
Journal. 36:467-469, 1975
where h = hours worked/day What is the adjusted TWA for Ethyl alcohol if the 8 -hour TWA is 1000 ppm and the
actual workweek is 10 hours, 5 days a week?
y No adjustment of the exposure standard is made for substances assigned with a Peak Limitation, e.g., chlorine or
hydrogen chloride
Calculations
y TWA for one substance
[T1(C1)+T2(C2)+…Tn(Cn)]
----------------------------- = TWA
Ttotal
y TWA for a mixture (Additive)
C1 C2 …Cn
----- + --------- + ------- =?
TLV1 TLV2 TLVn..
C1 C2 Cn
----- + --------- +…------- =
TLV1 TLV2 TLVn
4 ppm 2 ppm
----- + --------- = 1.47 = 1.5
5 ppm 3 ppm
Therefore, TLV for mixture is exceeded.
Calculations
y A worker is exposed to 4 ppm of hydrogen
chloride gas (TLV-C 5 ppm) and
simultaneously to 2 ppm of hydrogen bromide
(TLV-C 3ppm). Assuming INDEPENDENCE of
effects does the exposure exceed the TLV?
C1 C2
Is ----- or --------- > 1
TLV1 TLV2
4 ppm 2 ppm
----- = 0.8 , --------- = 0.67
5 ppm 3 ppm
1
TLV mix =
0.35 0.35 0.30
3
+ 3
+ 3
188 mg/m 434 mg/m 176 mg/m
1
TLV mix = 3
0.00437 mg/m
TLV mix = 230 mg/m 3
Other Topics Covered in
TLV Booklet
y Carcinogens (Appendix A)
A1 Confirmed Human
A2 Suspected Human
A3 Animal
A4 Not classifiable as a human carcinogen
A5 Not suspected as a human carcinogen
y Notice of Intended Changes
Exposure levels can be changed as well as the classification, e.g., benzene is
proposed to change from an A2 carcinogen to A1.
y Substances Variable Composition
Welding fume
Polytetrafluoroethylene Decomposition Products
y Chemical Substances Under Study
y Particle Size Selective TLVs
Inhalable Particulate Mass
Deposited anywhere in the respiratory tract (<100 um)
Thoracic Particulate Mass (<25 um)
Deposited in the lung airways or the gas exchange region
Respirable Particulate Mass (<10 um)
Deposited in the gas exchange region
y Example: Silica respirable dust
Biomonitoring
y Sampling media
Blood (venous, arterial) e.g. mg/100 deciliter of blood
Urine (mg/100 ml urine, 5.0 mg/g creatinine)
Exhaled air (ppm)
Nails, Hair (ppm, mg/g...)
y Denominator in OSHA PEL calculation is always 8 hours regardless of how long the
sample was taken.
y Action Level is usually but not always 50% of PEL (e.g., lead). If Action Level is
exceeded certain actions are triggered, e.g., medical monitoring, air sampling etc.
y Newer OSHA standards include provisions for: medical monitoring, required exposure
monitoring, training, recordkeeping, housekeeping procedures....etc (see asbestos
and arsenic standards for examples)
Individual Standards Under OSHA: Lead
Standard 1910.1025
(Not Complete)
y 1910.1025(a)
y 1910.1025(a)(1)
y This section applies to all occupational exposure to lead, except as provided in paragraph (a)(2).
y 1910.1025(a)(2)
y This section does not apply to the construction industry or to agricultural operations covered by 29 CFR Part 1928.
y 1910.1025(b)
y Definitions.
y "Action level" means employee exposure, without regard to the use of respirators, to an airborne concentration of lead of 30
micrograms per cubic meter of air (30 ug/m(3)) averaged over an 8-hour period.
y "Assistant Secretary" means the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, or
designee.
y "Director" means the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), U.S. Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare, or designee.
y "Lead" means metallic lead, all inorganic lead compounds, and organic lead soaps. Excluded from this definition are all other organic
lead compounds.
y 1910.1025(c)
y 1910.1025(c)(1)
y The employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to lead at concentrations greater than fifty micrograms per cubic meter
of air (50 ug/m(3)) averaged over an 8-hour period.
OSHA PELs
Table Z-1 (1910.1000)
OSHA PELs
Table Z-2 (1910.1000)
OSHA PELs
Table Z-3 (1910.1000)
Silica Calculation
y Sample collected with a personal cyclone placed in the
breathing zone of the worker. The lab analyzed the
sample by x-ray diffraction. The lab reported that the
sample contained 23% quartz (a form of silica) and the
total mass collected in your 8 hour sample collected by a
cyclone sampler operating at 1.7 liter/min was 4 mg. Is
the exposure in compliance with the OSHA PEL for
respirable Silica dust?
Silica Calculation
y OSHA PEL for respirable silica (quartz) is calculated as follows:
10 mg/m3 10 mg/m3
------------------ = PEL, -------------------- = 0.4 mg/m3
% Silica + 2 23 + 2
4 mg
Concentration in sample = --------------- = 4.9 mg/m3
0.816 m3
Very significant over exposure to respirable crystalline silica
NIOSH RELs
y REL Recommended Exposure Limit
y Not Legally Enforceable
y Based on the health related data, does not consider
feasibility.
y REL can be expressed as a TWA, STEL or Ceiling
y Applies to situations with up to 10 hour workday and 40
hour week.
WEELs and ERPGs
y Work Environmental Exposure Levels (WEEL)
y Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPG)
y Both published by the AIHA and contain rationale
for selecting the level, background information
and user guidance
y Only 100+ available
Occupational Exposure Limits
(OEL)
In Alphabetical order
y Australia
y China
y EU
y Germany
y Japan
y Norway
y Portugal
y Russia
y Singapore
y ……many others
Global Samples of OELs
Acrylamide
PRIME NAME: ACRYLAMIDE
CAS: 79-06-1
RTECS NUMBER: AS3325000