by Brianna Crandall — February 4, 2013—Occupational and environmental health organization ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) announced February 1 that its Board of Directors has ratified the 2013 Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs). TLVs and BEIs are guidelines on chemical exposure levels to be used by professionals trained in the practice of industrial hygiene; they are not designed to be used as standards. The Board also approved recommendations for additions to the Notice of Intended Changes (NIC).
The TLVs and BEIs are health-based values established by committees that review existing published and peer-reviewed literature in various scientific disciplines. Based on the available information, ACGIH formulates a conclusion on what level of exposure the typical worker can experience without adverse health effects. There is no consideration given to economic or technical feasibility, notes ACGIH. The 2013 TLVs & BEIs book and the 2013 Guide to Occupational Exposure Values will be available soon; those interested in ordering the publications can do so online at the ACGIH Store or by calling 513/742-2020.
The Notice of Intended Changes (NIC) is comprised of those substances and physical agents for which a limit/BEI is proposed for the first time, for which a change in the Adopted value/index is proposed, for which retention as an NIC is proposed, or for which withdrawal of the Documentation and adopted TLV/BEI is proposed. In each case, the proposals should be considered trial values until such time as the values are recommended to the ACGIH Board of Directors for adoption. Draft Documentation is available now for purchase for each of the substances on the NIC and their proposed values. Documentation for the adopted substances and agents will be available by March 8, 2013. All Documentation publications are in PDF format and priced at $60 each. ACGIH members are entitled to five free Documentation downloads per year.
ACGIH’s announcement provides an opportunity for comment on the proposals, and solicits suggestions for substances to be considered for TLVs and/or BEIs, such as those found on the current Under Study List. The process is explained on the ACGIH TLV/BEI Development Process Web site, which also links to various other TLV/BEI documents.
The Annual Reports of the ratifications of the ACGIH Board will be published in the winter issue of the ACGIH newsletter, Today! Online, and can be found online. ACGIH members can download the electronic version of the Annual Reports at no cost. Nonmembers may also acquire the Reports through the ACGIH Web site for $24.95.
