NEWSLETTER - April 2007
Contents•

Letter from the Editor•

News from the IOHA Board•

News from Member Associations•

News from WHO•

News from the European Union•

Contributions from readersoooOccupational Health and Safety Research Institute, Canada
Analytical Method for Asbestos - February, 2007, Japan
More on the Global Harmonization of Labelling and Classification of Chemicals (GHS)______________________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: Great care has been taken in the compilation of this IOHA-Newsletter. But neither the Editor and the authors nor the IOHA can accept
any legal responsibility for opinions, errors and omissions that may be made in this Newsletter. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed
articles rests solely with their authors and does not constitute an endorsement by the IOHA.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Letter from the Editor
Dear Colleagues,
The sharing of information among colleagues not only brings
us together and strengthens our commitment but multiplies
our knowledge and experience. This brings to mind a
Bernard Shaw quote: “If you have an apple and I have anapple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still
each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an
idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have
two ideas.” In fact, this is one of the reasons why IOHA
started the Newsletter many years ago, besides keeping
readers informed on main IOHA goals, endeavours andactivities. However, in order to have a useful and interesting
newsletter, it would be important to have more feedback
from readers, so do not hesitate to send your comments andsuggestions for improvement or changes.
For this issue we received news from member associations
in Australia, Japan, UK and USA; other member
associations are encouraged to send news and share theirexperiences.
It is very rewarding to see how collaboration amongcolleagues around the world has been graduallystrengthened. One outstanding example is the impetus that
the WHO Global Network of Collaborating Centres has taken
in recent years. As you may see under News from WHO,
many activities have been successfully completed, new

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

initiatives started and partnerships established aiming at joint
projects and exchanges of information.
I would like to, once more, draw your attention to theimportance of implementing the GHS at the country level inall countries. For health and the environment, there are noboundaries. As the admirable past Director General of WHO,Dr H. Mahler, used to say when addressing the staff: “we are
all navigating together in Spaceship Earth and we must work
together to keep it safe”. I believe that is exactly what wehave to do and our profession has a significant role to play inthis respect.
The “fight” against asbestos is a difficult one. In this context,
I believe it is timely to bring to your attention an analyticalmethod for analyzing the content of asbestos in bulk
samples, recently developed in Japan, in order to meet therequirements of new legislation. This is presented under“Contribution from Readers”, alongside a contribution from
Canada. For each issue, a couple of contributions fromreaders is selected and posted. Brief news about ongoinginvestigations and practical control solutions are also verymuch welcome.
Best greetings to all of you
Berenice Goelzer
berenice@goelzer.net

Page 1 of 12

News from the IOHA Board
From the IOHA Recognition of National Occupational Hygiene Certification/Accreditation Schemes
Sent by Tom Grumbles,
Chair of the IOHA National Accreditation Recognition (NAR) Committee), Tom.Grumbles@us.sasol.com
Congratulations to the Canadian Registration Board ofOccupational Hygienist (CRBOH) for recognition under the
IOHA National Accreditation Recognition (NAR) Committee
guidelines and Procedures.
This process compares the existing national programs towhat has been determined to be an International model
program for certification schemes. This set of criteria wasdeveloped through an International process of discussion

and debate with the existing Occupational Hygiene Certifying
bodies.
The overall aim of this process is to promote the recognitionof certifying schemes on a global basis. It is believed that a
consistent quality standard for these country schemes isimportant to shape performance of occupational hygienists.
Canada now joins the US, UK, Australia, South Africa andthe Dutch in achieving this recognition.

News from Members Associations
From Australia (AIOH)

AIOH 2006 Conference in Review
Sent by Gerard Tiernan, AIOH Newsletter Editor, gerard.tiernan@nrm.qld.gov.au
The AIOH Conference, held at the magnificent Marriott Hotel
Resort on Queensland’s Gold Coast, was another galaspectacular this year with a plethora of fun filled nights andheady days of intellectual stimulation and challenge. From
the week-end where the two PDCs and 11 CESs were
packed to overflowing to the final lunch on Wednesday, arecord number of delegates were treated to an excellent
social and scientific agenda. Ross Di Corleto and his team(see photograph) are to be heartily congratulated on
coordinating and staging such an excellent event and a very
successful conference socially, scientifically and financially.

Estimating the potential risk from skin exposure tochemicals, which really challenged participants.
A first for the AIOH Conference was the Sunday afternoon
Interactive Forum - Minimum acceptable measurement
protocols for exposure to workplace hazards run by the
ASCC - Australian Safety and Compensation Council (Australia’s national OH&S standard setting body)
representatives, Anthony Hogan and Howard Morris, andmarks a significant step forward in building the relationshipbetween the AIOH and the ASCC.
At the Welcome Function came the most exciting event of
the year for the AIOH – the launch of the BOOK!! Three
years in the planning and creation the BOOK is a revision ofDavid Grantham’s “Occupational Health and Hygiene,
Guidebook for the WHSO”, the copyright for which David
kindly gave to the AIOH. (David was the recipient of the
IOHA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004). Go to theweblink:
http://www.allenandunwin.com/Shopping/ProductDetails.asp
x?ISBN=9781741750584 to purchase your copy.

The week-end started with the traditional Introduction to
Occupational Hygiene, course which was over-subscribedindicating the need for hygiene skills is far from diminishing.
The second PDC, the free session on Full Membership
Interview skills, was well attended
The 11 CESs were all oversubscribed with a blend ofinternational guests and locals presenting. There were anumber of excellent sessions including Annette Bunge’s
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

On Monday morning, Ron Clarke, the Mayor of the Gold
Coast, gave the opening address. Next Julie Nielsen fromWorkplace Health and Safety Queensland brought delegatesup to date with what is happening in the Queensland
inspectorate and then tried to woo a few hygienists toQueensland – like every other jurisdiction Queensland ishaving trouble recruiting and keeping hygienists. Outgoing
AIOH President John Edwards then gave a short address
and was followed by the SEA sponsored speaker Vincent
Covello – an international expert in risk communication.
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Covello’s talk was excellent with some audience participationand interaction. He talked about the 1000 dos and don’ts ofmedia communication and the 27/9/3 rule, when in a highpressure situation such as a media interview it is best to getyour three points across in 27 words and 9 seconds. At theend of the first plenary John Edwards officially opened thetrade exhibition and delegates broke to view and discuss thelatest and greatest technology and services with the 23
exhibitors who have again been most generous in theirsupport of the conference.
After the break Frank Renshaw, AIHA President, and Andy
Gillies, BOHS President, gave us an update on the latest
developments in the US and UK/Europe. In the afternoon
delegates were treated to eight concurrent sessions and aplenary from Tony Parker from Queensland University ofTechnology on Managing the Aging Workforce.
Tuesday morning was a plenary presented by John Cocker
from the HSL in the UK talking on Biological Monitoring and
Ken Parsons from Loughborough University in the UK talking
about the Thermal Environment. This was followed by four
concurrent sessions providing delegates with plenty ofchoice and variety from OHS training (Hannah Aumann) toacid mist (Andrew Orfanos) to epidemiology (Deborah
Glass) to indoor air quality (Dan le Van). In the afternoon aplenary session was run by ASCC representatives Anthony
Hogan and Peta Miller on the National Exposure
Surveillance Strategy.
Stephen Dean then gave apresentation on next year’s conference to be held in
Melbourne. This was followed by a first for the AIOH – anInteractive Panel Session facilitated by Norman Swan thepresenter of the Health Report on the ABC’s Radio National.
The panel consisted of incoming AIOH President Ian Firth,

AIHA President Frank Renshaw, BOHS President Andy
Gillies, current AIOH President John Edwards, Julia Norris
representing the young hygienists, and occupational
physicians, Dr Robert McCartney and Dr Ki Douglas.
Early Wednesday, delegates were again in the scientificsessions listening to Margaret Hyland, The University of
Auckland, presenting a paper on tracking airborne dust
including nanoparticles. This was followed by Geza Benke’s
3M Award winning paper. After morning tea, Annette Bunge,from the Colorado School of Mines, presented an informativeand challenging paper on skin exposure. Mark Wagstaff,
National Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Committee,
NZ, then gave the final paper covering New Zealand’s
perspective on the national management of OH&S. Newly
installed President, Ian Firth, then brought the proceedings
to a close.
It was certainly a great conference overall and very
successful scientifically and socially. The record numbers of
CES attendees and conference delegates will also ensure afinancial success as well. A special first for 2006 was thepeer review of a selected number of the conference papers.
David Bromwich is to be congratulated on getting thisinitiative off the ground, and now that it is in place, it shouldbe able to be continued for future conferences. Once again
the Conference Committee and the AIOH Council is to becongratulated on putting together an excellent event that will
significantly benefit all those who attended by extending theirprofessional networks and maintaining their scientificknowledge.
Further information on the next AIOH conference,
Melbourne, Victoria, 1-5 December 2007, is available fromwww.aioh.org.au.

Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH)The Editor of the AIOH Newsletter, Gerard Tiernan, sent us
their March 2007 issue and, among much interesting
information, it is important to share with the readers that an
AIOH key action for 2007 is to “better promote the professionof occupational hygiene”; this is a role that no national
association should ignore as our profession needs to beconsistently and efficiently promoted worldwide. To this end,
AIOH produced a promotional letter - “Occupational
Hygienists - The Scientists Behind Health and Safety”
available, as well as the complete AIOH Newsletter, at theirsite (http://www.aioh.org.au/about_obj.asp). There is also apresentation “About AIOH” available as a download that canbe used to promote the Institute. AIOH is promoting theircertification scheme, particularly among OH&S Government
bodies.
The Newsletter also introduces new President Ian Firth, two
new Councillors, Kerrie Burton and Ron Capil and new
President-elect, Geza Benke, as well as their award winners
for 2006.

From Japan (JAWE and JOHA)

Joint Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Hygiene and Working Environment Measurement
2006, Sendai, Japan, November 2006
Sent by Mr. Masayoshi Karasawa, Executive Director JAWE, director@jawe.or.jp
and Professor Norihiko Kohyama, JOHA
The Japan Association for Working Environment
Measurement (JAWE), whose Chairman is Mr. Kizoh,
Hirayama, General Manager, Personnel & Labour Relations
Division, Nippon Steel Corporation, and the Japan
Occupational Hygiene Association (JOHA), whose chairman
is Dr. Haruhiko Sakurai, Professor emeritus of Keio
University, held their “Joint Conference and Exhibition on
Occupational
HygieneandWorking
Environment
Measurement 2006” in Sendai ”, 15-17 November 2006.
Sendai City is located in the Northeastern Region of Japanand also it is the biggest city in the Region.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

Page 3 of 12

The Joint Conference and Exhibition 2006 in Sendai
consisted of three parts, namely presentations, symposium
and exhibition.
There were 73 scientific presentations, as well as 12
manufacturers’ presentations. The scientific presentations
reported on research in occupational hygiene and working
environment measurement, and included topics such as:•

airborne asbestos concentration in removing work ofasbestos-containing construction materials;•

present
situations
ofworkingenvironment
management prevailing after tightened revision of
Administrative
Control
LevelsinWorking
Environment regarding dust, asbestos, organic
solvents, heavy metals and other specified chemical
substances;•mass concentration conversion factor (K value) for acollection time of 10 minutes using a high volume air
sampler;•study on the development of multi-stage particle size
selective dust sampler coping with the international
definition of respirable dust;•a preparation of particle type photo-catalyst using
TiO2 and an evaluation of a decomposition
efficiency of tetrachloroethylene as a target
chemical;•a study of double equipping noise proof personal
protective equipments for workers engaged inmoving works in noisy environment; and manyothers.(Further information on the presentations anddetailed programme may be obtained from theauthor of this contribution).

assessment and risk management in work places, which werestenforced on 1 , April, 2006.
In the Joint Symposium, there were four presentations,
namely:•“Guidelines for the Necessary Measures toPrevent Risk and Health Hazards to W orkers
Due to Chemical Substances”, by Mr. Kazuhiro
Nagata, from the headquarters of the Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan;•“The future certification programme of Occupational/
Industrial Hygienists by JAWE as well as the
National Accreditation and Recognition Scheme ofOccupational/
Industrial
Hygienists
bytheInternational Occupational Hygiene Association(IOHA), especially regarding risk assessment ofchemical substances” (by Mr. Masayoshi Karasawa
from JAWE);•“ Practice of Risk Assessment of chemical
substances in an enterprise” ( by Mr. Haruo
Hashimoto, MPH, CIH, from Exxon Mobile Yugen
Kaisha)•“The Risk Assessment of Crystalline Silica as fibrousand particulate substances (by Mr. Masayuki Tomita,
from Nichias Corporation).

This was followed by a discussion on these topics, conductedby Mr. Tadashi Takayama (Takayama Industrial Hygiene
Office) and Assistant Professor Jyuji Yabuta (Kitasato
University).
In the Conference, Professor Emeritus Tsutomu Takata(Kitasato University), as the Vice Chairman of JAWE, granted
the Superior Award to Mr. Tetsu Yoshida et al. (Kyushu
Regional Safety and Health Service Centre, and Shikoku
Regional Safety and Health Service Centre, Japan Industrial
Safety and Health Association - JISHA), as a winner of thethBest Scientific Presentation Award in 26 Conference andExhibition of JAWE on Occupational Hygiene and Working
Environment Measurement 2005, Takamatsu, regarding “AnOccupational Hygiene Countermeasure in a Workplacendhandling Lead Compounds, 2 report “ (presented by Mr.
Tetsu Yoshida).
In addition, a best manufacture’s presentation award was
granted to KOKEN LTD., Japan and a best manufacturer’s
exhibition award was granted to Research Institute for
Working Environment Measurement Co. Ltd., Japan, in the
Conference in Sendai, respectively.

The manufactures’ exhibits presented new analytical
instruments and apparatus such as: new types of phasecontrast and polarizing optical microscopes for asbestos
analysis (including peripheral equipments for asbestos
analysis), equipped with the new 40-power dispersion object
lens; particle size-selective sampling apparatus; samplingpumps; detector tubes, and, new personal computer systems
to assist in working environment measurements, personal
protective equipment and clothing were also exhibited.
The joint symposium theme was “The Present Status, Trend
and Future Development regarding Risk Assessment ofChemical Substances”. It was planned in order to deepen theunderstanding as well as to cope properly with the recent
tightened revision of the Occupational Safety and Health Law,
Japan as well as related regulations especially regarding risk
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

In addition, Mr. Arimichi Handa, Director, Office of Working
Environment Improvement, Ministry of Health, Labour andWelfare, Japan, and Mr. Yukio Yanagawa, Director,
Department of Labour Standards, Miyagi Prefectural Labour
Bureau, addressed congratulatory messages, respectively.
In the evening of the first day, the Reception for Exchange
was held; it was opened with welcoming speeches byProfessor Isamu Tanaka (University of Occupational andEnvironmental Health, Japan), Chairman of the Organizing
Committee of JOHA and by Dr. Kuniaki Matsui, Chairman of
the Organizing Committee of JAWE.
Then, Professor
Emeritus Tsutomu Takata, Kitasato University, as JAWE Vice
Chairman, addressed a greeting and proposed a toast.

Page 4 of 12

The Joint Conference was attended by more than 300
participants, as well as guests including from the
Headquarters of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare,as well as from Miyagi Prefectural Labour Bureau.
The next Joint Conference on Occupational Hygiene andWorking Environment Measurement will be held in Nagoya
City, located in Tokai Region of Japan, from 14th to 16th,
November, 2007.
Many Japanese experts in occupational health participated inthis event and the full list is available from the authors.

From the USA (ACGIH and AIHA)ACGIH New Strategic Long-Range Plan
Sent by Tony Rizzuto, ACGIH Executive Director, trizzuto@acgih.org
Cincinnati, Ohio – December 19, 2006 – ACGIH
announced today that it has revised its strategic long-range
plan to begin in 2007.
In July 2006, a strategic planning group consisting of the
ACGIH Board of Directors, invited members and senior staff
came together to develop a long-range strategic direction.
The Strategic Long-Range Plan document that resulted is
the group’s consensus on what will constitute ACGIH’s
success in the future...
Bob Soule, ACGIH Immediate Past Chair, set the finalizationof an improved Strategic Plan as a major goal during his
term as Board Chair. Dr. Soule noted, “I have been blessedwith a dedicated Board of Directors who pitched in andhelped me to accomplish a goal I had set just a little morethan a year ago – to undertake a comprehensive review of
our Strategic Long-Range Plan; to assure that it met thecontemporary needs of ACGIH, its members and its
customers; to fix it where it needed fixing; and to assure that
it would be used and kept up-to-date by future Board” andadded, “Following a full day with a preeminent consultant tovoluntary association boards, our Board worked diligently toarrive at a revised strategic plan for ACGIH, and I am
pleased with the results.”

From the core purpose “To advance occupational andenvironmental health”, emanate three long-range goals,
which encompass its three to five year direction and areoutcome-oriented statements, with the objective to lead
ACGIH towards its envisioned future. These goals, to beaccomplished by 2012, are:•••ACGIH will be its members' dominant resource forthe integration and exchange of scientific andtechnical knowledge.
ACGIH will be a leading source for information andknowledge about occupational and environmental
health.
ACGIH will be a powerful force for creating anenvironment to improve worker health.

The entire ACGIH strategic long-range plan is available forreview online at
http://www.acgih.org/About/Approved_ACGIH_Strategic_Lon
g_Range_Plan_2007-2011.pdf.
For more information, please contact Tony Rizzuto, ACGIH
Executive
Director,
at
+1
(513)
742-6172ortrizzuto@acgih.org.

AIHA

International Affairs - All the Ingredients Are There
Sent by Tom Grumbles, IOHA Board Member, Tom.Grumbles@us.sasol.com
Outreach by individual members has been a key ingredientin AIHA success to promote the profession internationally. A
second key ingredient is the organizational framework anddedication of our International Affairs Committee, led bychairman Brian Daly, and the IAC’s official ambassadors
such as Nick Yin for China and Aleksandra Nawakowski for
Poland.
A third ingredient is AIHA affiliation at the board andexecutive director level with the International Occupational
Hygiene Association, whose vice chair is AIHA pastpresident Tom Grumbles, and our sister organizations inAustralia, Brazil, Italy and the United Kingdom. The fourth
ingredient is AIHA’s more than 700 international members,
distributed throughout 50 countries.
International Task Force Makes Its MarkThe International Task Force, a group formed in September
2005, was charged with developing and recommending
tactics to the AIHA board on how best to achieve the
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

international goals identified in the new strategic plan. The
task force was chaired by Marshall Denhoff, past director of
AIHA and long-time member of the BC-Yukon Local Section.
The task force began by surveying current AIHA
international members and conducting an audit ofinternational services provided by other non-profit
associations. This research enabled the group to form factbased ideas on how to better reach our international
constituency. In February 2006, the group developed several
concrete recommendations to point AIHA in the direction of
becoming a stronger international entity.
Establishing a New Membership Category
One of the most significant recommendations of the task
force was that AIHA introduce a new “international affiliate”
membership category. This has been approved by the boardof directors. It applies to an individual who resides in, and isa citizen of, a country classified by the World Bank as a low,
lower-middle or middle-income economy, and who ispracticing occupational and environmental health and safety.
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The dues for this membership would be one-quarter of thefull member dues and would entitle affiliates to electroniconly access to AIHA products and services. Creating thisnew category requires a bylaws change that must be
approved by the full membership. AIHA members will voteon this measure when they elect 2007-2008 officers in thefirst quarter of 2007. If approved, international affiliate
membership not only will help AIHA expand its reach, butalso will reflect the true altruistic spirit of AIHA.
Identifying New Opportunities
The International Task Force recommended several key
strategies that are designed to help the association move
forward in a more focused way in international affairs. The
task force developed a roles and responsibilities documentthat provides guidelines for the board of directors, the IAC
and AIHA staff in international affairs. It clearly defines roles
to ensure that each entity is managing a key component of
AIHA international strategy and not overlapping. In addition,

this document examines the function of IOHA in relation to
AIHA and recommends continued open dialogue with thatorganization.
Another tangible outcome of the task force’s efforts is
procedures for evaluating and authorizing potential
international programs. These procedures include a process
flow chart, strategic assessment framework and an
activity/project/meeting assessment form to help guide all
future decisions.
The task force also recommended that AIHA focus new
initiatives in the next few years on three emerging market
countries, China, India and Mexico. However, this does notmean AIHA will focus exclusively on these countries. AIHA
fully intends to meet commitments with existing affiliations
and initiatives, and will use the task force criteria to continue
to search for new opportunities that are aligned with AIHA
strategic goals and objectives.

From the UK (BOHS)

Bedford Prize awarded for paper on benzene in Chinese shoe factories
Sent by Anthea Page, Communications Manager, BOHS, anthea@bohs.org
The latest Bedford Prize by the British Occupational
Hygiene Society has been awarded for a paper which Dr
Roel Vermeulen wrote, with 14 collaborators, on benzene
and toluene exposure levels in two shoe factories in Tianjin,
China. Dr Vermeulen was at the Occupational Epidemiology
Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda,
Maryland when he wrote the paper, but has now returned tohis earlier base at the University of Utrecht in the
Netherlands, at its Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences.
The paper is part of a long-term collaborative study onbenzene exposure and its effects, mainly between the US
National Cancer Institute, University of California, Berkeley,
and the Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control
in Beijing. The Bedford Prize is awarded for the best paperin BOHS's journal, Annals of Occupational Hygiene.
Commenting on the paper, the Editor in Chief of the Annals,
Dr Trevor Ogden, said “This is an excellent example of athorough long-term study of exposure, which used modern
statistical techniques to plan and analyse the sampling. The
authors were able to quantify the main contributing factors
using principal component analysis. No doubt it was thishigh-quality and thorough approach which attracted the
judging panel to this paper.”
The Bedford Prize is awarded every other year. Anyone cannominate papers to the shortlist, and the choice is thenmade by a panel of the journal Editorial Board and recent
presidents of BOHS. This was the paper judged to be thebest from the years 2004 and 2005, and the prize will bepresented to Roel at Occupational Hygiene 2007, BOHS’s
Annual Conference which is to be held next year in Glasgow
ththfrom 17 to 19 April. The winner two years ago, Professor
Dick Heederik, was also from the Utrecht Institute,confirming its position as one of the leading occupational
hygiene centres in Europe.
Since the award was made, Roel Vermeulen has joined the
Editorial Board of the Annals, and is now one of its assistant
editors. Roel obtained his MSc in Environmental Scienceswith honours in 1995 at Wageningen University and his PhD
in 2001 at Utrecht University. Besides his PhD fellowship heco-worked as a research assistant in several national andinternational projects with special focus on exposure
assessment methodologies before joining the National
Cancer Institute in 2001. In 2006 he took up his current
position as an investigator at the Environmental
Epidemiology Group of the Institute for Risk Assessment
Sciences, at Utrecht University. He has (co-)authored over
65 peer-reviewed papers and has served as a consultant toseveral institutions and European Union projects.
His research activities focus on the assessment ofoccupational exposures and the use of biological markers of
exposure and effect in epidemiological and cross-sectional
biomarker studies and methodological studies to improve
exposure assessment techniques. He is currently involved instudies on the carcinogenic effect of benzene, diesel, andpesticides and the etiology of bladder, lung andhematopoietic and lymphatic malignancies.

Latest round of BOHS Bursary Awards
BOHS is delighted to announce the latest Bursary Awardwinners. Scott Clark, studying for an MSc in Occupational
Hygiene at the University of Manchester, and Iyenoma
Osazee, studying for an MSc in Occupational andEnvironmental Health and Safety Management at the
University of Portsmouth, have each been awarded abursary to cover one year’s tuition fee. With yet more highquality applications for this second round of awards, both areworthy winners.

Environmental
Engineer
with
Vega
Environmental
Consultants in Whitley Bay. Iyenoma is a 44 year old
Health, Safety & Environment Manager with Julius Berger
Nigerial plc, in Abuja, Nigeria; he has an HND in Civil &Building Engineering and a British Safety Council
International Certificate in Occupational Safety & Health.
Both are self-funding their MSc studies, and plan toincreasingly focus on occupational hygiene as their careers
progress

Scott is 33, has a BEng in Environmental and EcologicalEngineering and is currently a Cleanroom and

BOHS’s bursary scheme is for students wanting to gain ahigher education qualification in Occupational Hygiene, with

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

Page 6 of 12

up to five bursaries every year to be awarded biannually,each of up to £4,000 towards the payment of academic fees.
st
The closing date for the next round of applications is 31
July 2007.

For full information visit the Education & Training section of
BOHS’s website, www.bohs.org

News from WHO
WHO Online
There are three new publications related to Occupational
Health, available on the WHO Website (free of charge),
namely:“Raising Awareness of Stress at Work in Developing
Countries” - in the Protecting Workers' Health Series,
available at:
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/pwh
6/en/index.html“Compendium of final products”, developed in the 20012005 Global Work plan, by the WHO Network ofCollaborating Centres in Occupational Health, availableat:
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/compendium/en/index.html
The last issue of the Newsletter of the Global
Occupational Health Network (GOHNET), dedicated tothe important topic of “Elimination of Silicosis”, availableat:
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/new
sletter/gohnet12e.pdf

WHO Network of Collaborating Centres in Occupational Health
The WHO Collaborating Centres are now working on theirprojects within the Work Plan 2006-2010. IOHA is a partnerin some of these projects. IOHA partnerships can be
identified by using the search function in the WHO 20062010 Compendium of projects at:
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/network/2006compendium/en/index.html.
Important information is that a quarterly e-newsletter of the
WHO Global Network of Collaborating Centres (CCs) in
Occupational Health – the “Collaborating Centre Connection”- has been created with the objective of facilitating

communication within the Network, sharing successes, andinforming on opportunities and developments, as well as
linking projects, CCs and Activity Area (AA) managers. The
first issue of “Collaborating Centre Connection” (March
2007) is already available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/CCC/CCCnewsV1N1.html
In this context, I would like to remind the (I believe, very few)
readers who are not yet aware of the excellent NIOSH
Newsletter, that it is available, free of charge at:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/

Workshop on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Exposure to Dust (PACE)
5 – 6 December 2006, São Paulo, Brazil
The workshop was organized and co-hosted by two Brazilian
institutes of occupational health based in São Paulo:
FUNDACENTRO (Brazilian Institute for Safety and Health atWork), a WHO Collaborating Centre in Occupational Healthand the Jabaquara Training Unit of SENAC-SP (São Paulo
Division of the National Service for Commercial Education),and a candidate to become a WHO Collaborating Centre.
Another WHO Collaborating Centre in Occupational Healthparticipated in this event: the National Institute for
Occupational Health (NIOH), South Africa, as well as two
institutions that are also candidates to become WHO
Collaborating Centres, namely the National Institute of
Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Porto, Portugal, and SESI(Social Service for Industry), Brazil.
The participating institutions decided to join forces
concerning collaborative activities with WHO, in the context
of the 2006-2010 Work Plan of the Global Network of WHO
Collaborating Centres for Occupational Health. This will
include continued exchanges of information on planed
activities, aiming at mutual help and avoidance of duplication
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

of efforts, with particular focus on Portuguese-speaking
countries.

The preparatory work leading up to the workshop included
the submission of presentations by various delegates, withregard to the dust control situations in certain sectors of their
specific countries, so as to prepare a summary of the
Page 7 of 12

country-specific situations to serve as a basis for discussions
at the workshop.
The main objectives of the workshop and associatedmeetings and discussion groups were:•To review why exposure to dust is not yet
systematically prevented and/or controlled•

To elaborate a joint strategy to raise awarenessand emphasize the importance of the prevention
control of exposure to dust•

To define a strategy for promoting the prevention ofoccupational exposure to dust (with emphasis on
small
enterprisesinPortuguese-speaking
countries) through the development of human andinformation resources•

To allocate responsibilities and tasks for the way
forward, among institutions collaborating in thiseffortAs a follow up to the São Paulo workshop, an internationalseminar on the “Prevention of Occupational Diseases”, forPortuguese-speaking participants, is being planned to beheld in Portugal, later in 2007. This seminar, under theleadership of WHO and the institutions that participated in
the São Paulo workshop, will hopefully constitute a
milestone in the creation of a new Network for Occupational
Health Development in Portuguese-speaking Countries(Brazil, Portugal and a number of African countries).
The Report from this workshop (in Portuguese) will be soonposted on the FUNDACENTRO website(http://www.fundacentro.gov.br).
An article on this workshop (in English) was prepared by
Claudina Nogueira from NIOH, South Africa, and is available
onlineat:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/CCC/CCCnewsV1N1.html

New WHO publication on Prevention and Control of Exposure to Dust
In 1999 WHO published the document “Prevention And
Control Exchange: PACE, Hazard Prevention and Control in
the Work Environment: Airborne Dust”, which has been
widely used in many countries particularly for training
activities. In Sweden, with basis on this document, a visualtraining package (with 2 CDs) - entitled “Hazard Prevention
and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust”, wasprepared (in 2005) by Ing-Marie Andersson, Gunnar Rosén,Lars-Erik Byström and Marit Skoglund, intended for trainers
organizing courses in prevention of occupational dust
exposure as well as for self-studies.
However, occupational health is a very dynamic field and,since then, there have been many relevant studies on theeffects of exposure to dust, as well as many advances anddevelopment of new practical solutions for dust control.

Therefore, this document will be revised and updated in thenear future. It should be pointed out, though, that the basic
prevention and control guidelines covered in the initialpublication are still valid and can be applied.
This updating process will also be a means of sharing
practical experiences in this field from many occupational
hygienists around the world. The new document and casestudies will be posted in due course on the WHO website.
Many colleagues in different countries, as well as many
WHO Collaborating Centres, have already been consulted
and extremely valuable information has already been sent toWHO. However, readers are encouraged to send theirexperiences in dust control to Gerry Eijkemans(eijkemansg@who.int)
andB.
Goelzer(berenice@goelzer.net).

News from the European Union
Brussels, 21st February 2007 - 25% cut in accidents at work by 2012 – new EU strategy
Sent by Kurt Leichnitz, IOHA Board Member, Kurt.Leichnitz@t-online.deWork-related illness and accidents should be cut by aquarter across the EU under a new five-year strategy for
health and safety at work, adopted by the Commission
today. It follows a 17% reduction in fatal accidents from2002-2004 and a 20% fall in accidents leading to absencefrom work of three days or more. But progress remains
uneven across different countries, sectors, companies andcategories of workers. Changes in working life are leading to
new occupational risks, while certain workplace illnesses areon the rise.
"Occupational illness and accidents at work are a heavy
burden on both workers and employers in Europe. Every
year there are 4 million accidents at work which represent
enormous economic costs for the European economy. A
considerable share of these costs falls upon social security
systems and public finances," said Vladimír Špidla,
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal
Opportunities. "Improving the health and safety of workers is
key to the EU's Growth and Jobs agenda. By bolstering
productivity and quality at work, we will boost European
growth and competitiveness."
Despite major advances over the past five years, there is still
considerable room for improvement. The costs of accidents
at work and work-related ill health do not fall equally on all
players. Loss of income due to absence from work costs
European workers around EUR 1 billion a year. Employers
face costs linked to sick pay, replacement of absent workers
and loss of productivity – many of which are not covered byinsurance.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly
exposed, accounting for 82% of all occupational injuries andPage 8 of 12

90% of all fatal accidents. Sectors such as construction,
agriculture, transport and health all present higher than
average risks of accidents at work, while young workers,
migrants, older workers and those with insecure working
conditions are disproportionately affected. Specific illnesses
are on the rise, including musculoskeletal diseases – suchas back pain, joint injuries and repetitive strain injuries – andillnesses caused by psychological strain.
The new strategy for 2007-2012 aims to achieve an overall
25% reduction of occupational accidents and diseases in the
EU. It sets out a series of actions at European and national
levels in the following main areas:• Improving and simplifying existing legislation andenhancing its implementation in practice through nonbinding instruments such as exchange of good practices,
awareness-raising campaigns and better information andtraining;• Defining and implementing national strategies adjusted tothe specific context of each Member State. These strategies
should target the sectors and companies most affected andfix national targets for reducing occupational accidents andillness;• Mainstreaming of health and safety at work in othernational and European policy areas (education, publichealth, research) and finding new synergies;• Better identifying and assessing potential new risks
through more research, exchange of knowledge andpractical application of results.
Further information is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/health_safety/index_
en.htm

REACH the new EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals
Sent by Kurt Leichnitz, IOHA Board Member, Kurt.Leichnitz@t-online.de
The REACH Regulation was formally adopted on 18
December 2006 by the Council of Environment Ministers of
the EU Members. REACH will enter into force on 1 June
2007. The text of the Regulation was published on 30
December 2006 in the Official Journal of the European
Union L 396.
The Commission proposed a new EU regulatory framework
for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation ofChemicals (REACH) on 29 October 2003. The aim is toimprove the protection of human health and the environment
through the better and earlier identification of the propertiesof chemical substances. At the same time, innovative
capability and competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry
should be enhanced. The benefits of the REACH system will
come gradually, as more and more substances are phased
into REACH.

The REACH Regulation gives greater responsibility toindustry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide
safety information on the substances. Manufacturers andimporters will be required to gather information on theproperties of their substances, which will help them manage
them safely, and to register the information in a central
database. A Chemicals Agency will act as the central point in
the REACH system: it will run the databases necessary tooperate the system, co-ordinate the in-depth evaluation of
suspicious chemicals and run a public database in which
consumers and professionals can find hazard information.
The Regulation also calls for the progressive substitution of
the most dangerous chemicals when suitable alternatives
have been identified.

CEN Strategy 2010
At its General Assembly in October 1999, CEN approved astrategic vision and direction looking towards the year 2010.
Since that time, however, the political and economic
environment in which European standardization is working
has gone through noticeable changes. There was therefore
a need to review the “CEN Strategy 2010” to respond tothese changes and to anticipate future developments.

5.

6.
The key objectives of the updated “CEN Strategy 2010”
are:1. Promoting the development of a coherent European
Standardization System.
2. Ensuring a business-like approach within CEN,
together with an effective marketing strategy, tostrengthen the provision of services to customers
and to improve the visibility of the CENStandardization System.
3. Providing customers with timely and market
relevant products and services which meet theirneeds, whilst upholding the values of openness,transparency and consensus.
4. Securing
stablefinancing
for
the
CEN
Standardization System and the CMC in order to

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 20077.

8.

enable CEN to concentrate on its primary objectiveof developing European Standards.
Developing effective relations with the EC andEFTA in order to promote and reinforce the role ofEuropean standardization as a tool for supporting
European policies and for simplifying legislation in
Europe.
Being the recognized provider of European
Standards relating to Conformity Assessment andpromoting a European mark of conformity.
Reviewing the corporate governance structureswith a view to facilitating the decision-making
processes and ensuring effective policy making
within CEN.
Being open to partnerships for the efficientdevelopment of European Standards, ensuring aclose collaboration with international partnerorganizations.

The complete text of “CEN Strategy 2010” (updated January
2007)
can
be
obtainedfromsite:
http://www.cen.eu/cenorm/aboutus/generalities/strategy/strat
egy.asp#

Page 9 of 12

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM READERS
From Canada

Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute, Canada
The Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute(IRSST), located in Montreal (QC), Canada, carries out
scientific activities concentrated in seven research fields:
accidents, chemical substances and biological agents,
musculoskeletal disorders, noise and vibration, protective
equipment, occupational rehabilitation, safety of industrial
tools, machines and processes. More information about theInstitute and its research activities, as well as about 1000
research reports are available for free download at:
http://www.irsst.qc.ca/en/home.html
Specific information on IRSST research on formaldehyde is
hereby presented.
Workplace Exposure to Formaldehyde - Prevention
Guide
by Jacques Millettemillette.jacques@irsst.qc.ca
The Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute(IRSST) has published a practical guide as well as threetechnical fact sheets that constitute a summary of theresearch work on the risks associated with formaldehyde
exposure and on the means of prevention to be
implemented. The fact sheets are aimed at three sectors,
namely wood panel manufacturing, wood furniture
manufacturing, and embalming.
In Québec only, the number of workers potentially exposed
to formaldehyde has been evaluated at 150,000. Healtheffects, which vary with the duration of exposure and theconcentration of the product, include eye, mucosa andrespiratory tract irritation, and nasopharyngeal cancer.

The Institute's researchers directed a multidisciplinary teamcomprised of about ten scientists, who documented theexposure of workers in 31 activity sectors in Québec. This
vast study led to the publication of a report and 12
appendices, 10 of which relate to specific economic activity
sectors. All these documents are available free of charge on
the IRSST’s website. Researchers on these topics include
Nicole GOYER, Denis BÉGIN, Charles BEAUDRY, Michèle
BOUCHARD, Gaétan CARRIER, Jérôme LAVOUÉ,
Nolwenn NOISEL and Michel GÉRIN.
The prevention guide and the three fact sheets can be
downloaded free of charge from the IRSST's Web site, as
follows:
Formaldehyde in the workplace: Prevention guide:
www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/pubIRSST/RG-473.pdf
Exposure to formaldehyde in the workplace - Wood panel
manufacturing, Fact sheet:www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/pubIRSST/RG1-473.pdf
Exposure to formaldehyde in the workplace - Wood furniture
manufacturing: Fact sheet:www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/pubIRSST/RG2-473.pdf
Exposure to formaldehyde in the workplace - Embalming,
Fact sheet:www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/pubIRSST/RG4-473.pdf
Impact of lowering of the permissible exposure value forformaldehyde - Health impact of an occupational exposure toformaldehyde:
http://www.irsst.qc.ca/en/_publicationirsst_100178.html

From Japan

Analytical Method for Asbestos - February, 2007
Sent by: Masayoshi Karasawa, Executive Director,
The Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement, director@jawe.or.jp
Norihiko Kohyama*, Professor, Toyo University, kohyama@toyonet.toyo.ac.jp
The Japan Association for Working Environment
Measurement (JAWE) developed a new analytical method
for analyzing the content of asbestos in bulk samples down
to 0.1% in weight, utilizing an X-ray diffraction (XRD) and aderivative thermogravimetric (DTG) method. This work met
the requirements of the revision of the Occupational Safety
and Health Law in Japan, concerning the definition ofasbestos products, i.e. the lower cut off value of the content
of asbestos was altered from 1% to 0.1% in weight inasbestos containing materials, such as construction
materials
andmineralsresources
suspectedofcontamination by asbestos.
JAWE, whose Chairman is Mr. Kizoh, Hirayama, Managing
Director, General Manager, Personnel & Labour Relations
Division, Nippon Steel Corporation, had been developing
independently an analytical method of asbestos content forbulk samples mainly for construction materials using X- ray
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

diffraction (XRD) method and dispersion staining microscopy(DSM), in order to cope with the tightened revision of thelower exemption content limit, namely lower cut off value,with respect to the regulations of the Occupational Safety
and Health Law, Japan, from 1% to 0.1% in weight. In fiscal
year 2004, JAWE completed already the development of theanalytical method, and this method was adopted as thestandard analytical method for bulk samples containing
asbestos such as construction materials by the Circular ofnd
No.0622001, dated 22 , July, 2005 from the Director of the
Chemical Hazards Control Division, Industrial Safety and
Health Department, Labour Standards Bureau, Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.
After then, the analytical method has been improved by theJapanese Industrial Standards Committee and adopted as
the “JAPANESE INDUSTRIAL STANDARD, Determinationof asbestos in building material products, JIS A 1481:2006”,
Page 10 of 12

thon 25 , March, 2006. This Standard is basically depended
on the result of the study conducted by the experts
committee of JAWE and also substituted the Circular ofst
No.0622001 by the Circular of No.0821002, dated 21 ,August, 2006 from the Director General, Labour Standards
Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
However, this method, JIS A 1481:2006 cannot be applied tomineral products made from minerals as natural resources
containing asbestos as impurities, because for most mineralproducts, it is difficult to condense contents of asbestos
which is contained as impurity in minerals as natural
resources.
The mineral products, such as talc, sepiolite, vermiculite andbrucite, have been used for construction materials andothers. Talc sample is sometimes contaminated by tremolite
and/or chrysotile as impurity, sepiolite by tremolite,
vermiculite by tremolite and/or chrysotile and brucite bychrysotile. So, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare,Japan entrusted JAWE to develop a new analytical method
for control these asbestos impurities.
In response to this trust, since June, fiscal year 2006, JAWE
organized the Experts Committee for the development ofanalytical methods of asbestos content for mineral products
as natural resources” (Chairman, Professor Toshio Nagoya,
Waseda University) and this Committee studied continuously
and energetically giving up their summer vacation from Julyto August, in order to complete the new analytical methods
mentioned above within the time limit by the time of thetightened revision of the lower exemption content limit instweight will be enforced on 1 , September, 2006.
The new analytical method employing XRD and DTG can beapplied to some mineral products in order to cope with thelower cut-off value of 0.1% in weight. The abstracts of these
new analytical methods are as follows:
Natural minerals such as talc, sepiolite and vermiculite
sometimes contain asbestos, i.e. chrysotile and/or fibrous
tremolite, as impurity minerals. Since these natural minerals
have similar refractive index with chrysotile and/or fibrous
tremolite, application of the dispersive staining method using
phase contrast microscopy is difficult to detect and countthese asbestos fibers quantitatively. On the other hand,
analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM) is usefulto recognize asbestos even in these minerals, but ATEM
method has not come into wide use and it is difficult to findthe analysts of ATEM in common measurement organs at
the present. Under such circumstance, we have to employ
X-ray diffraction method (XRD) for the measurement of trace
amount of asbestos in bulk samples of these naturalminerals.
The lower detection limit of XRD depends on the power of Xray generator, i.e. the higher the power, the lower thedetection limits. Conventional XRD machine can detect acrystalline material of about 1 weight %, while high power
XRD machine employing rotating cathode-ray tube candetect a crystalline material down to about 0.1 weight %.
However, because such high power XRD machine has notbeen used popularly in common measurement organs, aconventional XRD machine has to be employed in asbestos
analysis of natural mineral samples at the present.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

The quantitative analysis of 0.1 weight % level is difficult
when a conventional XRD machine is employed. But as thediffraction peak of tremolite in 0.5 weight % and that ofchrysotile in 0.8 weight % can be recognized without failure,
standard samples containing tremolite in 0.5 and chrysotile
in 0.8 weight % are prepared by JAWA. Using thesestandard samples, analytical condition of a XRD machine iscalibrated to produce a clear diffraction peak of asbestos ineach standard sample. Under the same analytical condition
using the same XRD machine, each analysis is performed
for asbestos.
To say it concretely, when the diffraction intensities ofserpentine and/or tremolite in an analytical sample do not
exceed those of standard sample, it is concluded that theamount of asbestos in analytical sample does not exceed
the amount of 0.1 weight %. The reasons to conclude aboveare:(1) diffraction peak of tremolite would not be all from fibrous
form, i.e. asbestos, and(2) existence of serpentine minerals can be recognized in
XRD pattern but we do not know if the pattern derives allfrom chrysotile because these serpentine minerals show
similar XRD pattern.
The abstracts of each XRD method coping with Talc,
Sepiolite, Vermiculite or Brucite are clearly explained in theoriginal paper, which can be obtained from one of theauthors.
Theses new analytical methods are adopted by the Circularof No.0828001, dated 28 August, 2006 from the Director of
the Chemical Hazards Control Division, Industrial Safety and
Health Department, Labour Standards Bureau, Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.
By the way, as already mentioned on the IOHA Newslettersof July and December 2005 as well as June 2006, theasbestos problem is still one of the most serious social
issues in Japan. In order to cope with the change of theserious situation regarding the asbestos problems, including
the increase of lung cancer, mesothelioma and otherdiseases due to the exposure to asbestos, in Japan, theMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare amended partially the
Cabinet Enforcement Order of Occupational Safety and
Health Law as well as the Ordinance on Prevention ofndHazards due to Asbestos on 2 , August, 2006 and enforced
stsince 1 , September, 2006.
These analytical methods supported the tightened revision of
the regulations for safety and health coping with asbestos
problem, and will contribute to the solution of asbestos
problems not only in the Japanese community but theinternational community.
The details of the new analytical methods concerned as wellas the main contents of the complete tightened amendments
can be obtained from one of the authors.
_____________________*Member of the “Experts Committee for the development ofanalytical methods of asbestos content for mineral products
as natural resources” organized by JAWE

Page 11 of 12

More on the Global Harmonization of Labeling and Classification of Chemicals (GHS)by Berenice Goelzer, berenice@goelzer.net
Following on previous information on the GHS presented on
past IOHA Newsletters, it is timely to remind readers that thefull GHS guidelines are available free of charge at:
http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_rev00/00fil
es_e.html
In view of the great benefits it may bring, it is important thatsuch guidance be adopted at the national level everywhere.
Excerpts from an interesting Press Release (29 March
2007), by the American Society of Safety Engineers arepresented bellow, as this subject is of great importance also
to occupational hygienists.
“During an American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
Global Harmonization of Labeling and Classification ofChemicals (GHS) technical audio conference yesterday,
participants in a web poll voted overwhelmingly, 98 percent“yes” and two percent “no”, that they see hazardous
communications systems improving as a result of GHS
implementation.” …. “GHS is an international system forstandardizing and harmonizing the classification and labelingof chemicals as a way to increase safety. … The GHS isintended to provide a comprehensive approach to defining
health, physical and environmental hazards of chemicals;

creating classification processes that use available data on
chemicals for comparison with the defined hazard criteria;
and communicating hazard information, as well as protective
measures, on labels and Material Safety Data Sheets(MSDS).”“The ASSE GHS conference call featured Jennifer Silk,
former Deputy Director, Directorate of Standards andGuidance at OSHA, and Mary Frances Lowe of the EPA
Office of Pesticide Programs, discussing the impact of GHS
on hazard communications for all industries, whether amanufacturer, importer, distributor, or end user. They also
discussed how GHS would change MSDS, company Hazard
Communication (HAZCOM) Programs and the impact it will
have on safety, health and environmental professionals.”
The full Press Release in question – entitled “American
Society of Safety Engineers Poll Shows Members See
Global Program Increasing Chemical Use Safety” isavailable online at:
http://www.asse.org/newsroom/release.php?pressRelease=
808

Contributions for the IOHA Newsletter should be sent by email to the Editor, berenice@goelzer.net

International Occupational Hygiene Association
5/6 Melbourne Business Court, Millennium Way, Derby De24 8LZ
Telephone +44 1332 298 101, Fax +44 1 332 298 099
www.ioha.net - email: admin@ioha.net

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 15 No. 1, April 2007

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