What is BTEX?

The monoaromatic hydrocarbons benzene, toluene, ethybenzene, and xylenes, also known as BTEX, are
the sources of a variety of adverse health effects such as asthma, dizziness, fatigue, and eye, nose, and
throat irritation. Moreover, nausea and similar nonspecific symptoms have been also associated with
BTEX.

What are the OH limits of BTEX?

The US-OSHA 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) airborne exposure for Benzene is currently set at 1
part per million (ppm).

1 ppm = 3.19 mg/m3

The most common short-term exposure limit is 5 ppm (16 mg/m3) for any 15-minute period, developed
by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL).
OSHA also specific es that “the employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to an airborne
concentration of 1 ppm benzene in air as an 8-hour time-weighted average.

The Action Level for benzene is just 0.5 ppm as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). The US
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has even lower recommended exposure
limits (RELs) of just 1 ppm over a 15-minute period and 0.1 ppm over 8 hours1.