by Brianna Crandall — February 7, 2014—Occupational and environmental health organization ACGIH (the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) announced January 31 that its Board of Directors has ratified the 2014 Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs), such as chemicals that workers are exposed to in manufacturing, cleaning processes and laboratories. The Board also approved recommendations for additions to the Notice of Intended Changes (NIC).
The 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, clarifies ACGIH. 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.
A listing of the substances that were acted upon, 2014 TLVs and BEIs Substances and Agents Listing , is available on the ACGIH Web site. The annual reports of the ratifications of the ACGIH Board, Annual Reports of the Committees on TLVs and BEIs for Year 2013 , will be published in the winter issue of the ACGIH newsletter, Today! Online, and can be found online, at no cost to ACGIH members and $24.95 for nonmembers.
The proposals for the Notice of Intended Changes (NIC): 2014 TLVs and BEIs Substances and Agents Listing should be considered trial values during the period they are on the NIC, says the ACGIH. Draft Documentation for each of the substances on the Notice of Intended Changes (NIC) is currently available for purchase from the ACGIH Store. Documentation for the adopted substances and agents will be available by March 7, 2014. All Documentation are in PDF format and priced at $60 each. ACGIH members are entitled to five free Documentation downloads per year.
The 2014 TLVs and BEIs book and the 2014 Guide to Occupational Exposure Values will be available soon through the ACGIH Store or by phone at 513/742-2020.
This notice provides not only an opportunity for comment on these proposals, but it also solicits suggestions for substances to be considered for TLVs and/or BEIs, such as those found on the current Under Study List.
ACGIH recommends that all TLV and BEI users read the Statement of Position Regarding the TLVs and BEIs that outlines the proper usage of TLVs and BEIs. Besides the Under Study List mentioned above, the TLV/BEI Resources site also includes: Conflict of Interest Policy, Notice of Intended Changes (NIC), TLV/BEI Policy Statement, TLV/BEI Position Statement, TLV/BEI Development Process, Committee Operations Manuals, and TLV/BEI Process Presentations.
