On July 23, 2001, new safety limits for occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) were introduced in Poland. The limits have been based on the analysis of international recommendations, e.g., ICNIRP (1998), WHO (1998), IEEE standard (1999), drafts of European standards (ENV 1995), and a critical review of the world literature on the biological effects of EMF and health effects of ex...

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 elec...

Few therapeutic substances have occupational exposure limits (OELs) set by regulatory bodies and reliance is often placed on in-house OELs derived from a formula based on the therapeutic dose. This mode of derivation relies on assumptions about pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and risk acceptability which might not be soundly based for occupational health purposes. Pharmacodynamic evidence sh...

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 elec...

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a toxic gas with an offensive odour reminiscent of rotten eggs. There is the potential for widespread occupational exposure to H2S, including in the oil and water treatment industries. There is a particular concern for exposure in confined spaces such as manholes and sewer pipes; the high concentrations that can build up in such conditions (> 1000 parts per million (pp...

The purpose of occupational exposure limits (OEL) is to protect employees from excessive exposure to hazardous substances and from possible harm to their health. Calculating OELs involves the determination of exposure limits. If these are adhered to, it can be assumed that employees are either exposed to no risk or to minimum risk. However, what does “minimum risk” mean? An OEL that is set too ...

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 compare...

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is produced in Poland as a high production volume chemical (HPVC). It is used mainly as a pigment for paints and coatings, plastics, paper, and also as additives to food and pharmaceuticals. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are increasingly applied in cosmetics, textiles and plastics as the ultraviolet light blocker. This contributes to a growing occupational exposure to T...

For many years, these differences were most apparent between limits of Russia and most of Eastern Europe (which originated in the days of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact) and those of the United States and West Europe. This situation has become even more complicated with the recent adoption of “precautionary” limits by Switzerland, Italy, and a few other countries. Behind these differences...

Users of occupational exposure limits (OELs) often fail to distinguish between the complementary processes of risk assessment and exposure (risk) management. The former refers to those activities that lead to the selection of a reasonably protective exposure limit and often includes an analysis of exposure databases and an evaluation of group-based risk. The latter focuses on individual risk, a...