Global ExposureManager
The newsletter of the International Occupational Hygiene Association

September 2017 | Issue 6

In this issue-- Interview with Deborah Nelson, presidentof the AIHA-- Malaysia: Industrial hygiene outreach programme-- SAIOH awarded W201 accreditation-- Turning the tide on occupational disease-- Styrene exposure: Q&A with Niosh

www.ioha.net

Interview with Deborah
Nelson, president of the AIHA
IH. Over the last several years, our Content Priority Advisory
Group has identified key emerging technology focus areas
where we can support the development of new knowledge andgenerate publications to disseminate it. Such areas include sensor
technologies, Big Data and emergency preparedness and response.
And third, we’re being even more careful with our resources. Ourbudgets undergo intense scrutiny. For several years now, the boardof directors has had three fewer directors.

Frank Zaworski spoke to Deborah Nelson about
the challenges facing the association andindustrial hygienists generally.
Zaworski: What is the mission of the American Industrial
Hygiene Association (AIHA) and how has it evolved toassist its member industrial hygienists?
Nelson: In short, the mission of AIHA is protecting worker
health. More broadly, we protect and enhance the health andsafety of people at work and in their communities by supporting
industrial hygienists (IHs) and occupational and environmental
health and safety (OEHS) professionals.

Zaworski: No need to be political here, but how is AIHA
responding to the anti-science attitudes in some sectorsof government?
Nelson: IH is a science - and an art - and it is based on scientificmethods and knowledge. As I mentioned before, we’re working
hard to ensure that the public knows who we are – highly
educated and experienced professionals – and what we can do.

We develop and provide best-in-class publications, conferences,
short courses and webinars, and manage three laboratory
accreditation, proficiency analytical testing and registry
programmes. I’ve been a member since 1977 and during that time
I have seen increased emphasis on innovative member services
and enhanced governmental relations activities, both at state andfederal levels, as well as scholarships and mentoring for students
and early career professionals.

Our efforts with the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health’s (Niosh) Safety Matters programme, which
is dedicated to providing safety and health training to young
workers, will not only help prevent occupational injuries, illnesses
and fatalities, but will also introduce young people to the scienceof IH. Our award-winning IH Professional Pathway materials
support the various career stages of the profession. And staytuned for some really fun materials we’re developing to catch theinterest of younger kids.

Zaworski: What are three major challenges faced by the IH
community today. How do they differ from the past? How
are the association and other stakeholders working toaddress these challenges?

We’re really pleased with the increased efforts in governmental
relations, which include ensuring the federal agencies our
profession depends on, like Niosh, Osha and the Mine Safety
and Health Administration (MSHA), receive suitable funding
to deploy their missions. We’ve ramped up efforts to encourage
our members to engage with our elected representatives andgovernmental officials, to ensure that they have the mostaccurate information on the impacts, causes and control ofworkplace hazards.

Nelson: In my opinion, one of our immediate challenges is theimpending retirement of a large percentage of our members,
many of whom joined the profession and the association
during the early years of the Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (Osha).
In contrast with previous years, when the safety, health andenvironmental professions were expanding, we now see fewer
students entering academic programmes in these areas andsubsequently joining the workforce. We’re working hard to attract
students to the profession and at the same time to create moredemand for IH and OEHS professionals by educating the public
about our profession and how we can help control a wide arrayof hazards, from traditional workplace hazards, such as lead andsilica, to radon, mould, ergonomics and natural disasters.

Zaworski: Proposed cuts to the budgets of some federal
agencies (the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), forexample) could hinder their ability to fulfill their mandate.
Could such cuts mean that greater responsibility for
employee health and safety will be placed on hygienists atstate and local levels?

Second, we’ve dealt with the dynamic tension between IH scienceand OEHS practice. Without doubt, most of our members
are involved in a range of issues including safety, environment,
security, workplace violence and health and wellness programmes.
However, as an association we need to focus our resources on
the area where we’re best in class – specifically the science of
IOHA Newsletter

Nelson: That could very well be true, if by ‘local’ level you
include IHs in organisations. We’ve already moved beyond
compliance and potential liability as being the prime motivatorsfor organisations to invest in workplace health and safety. IH andOEHS professionals must be able to make the business case forhealth and safety programmes.
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September 2017

The triple bottom line and enterprise risk management and even social media, with its potential to influence public
opinion - have become important drivers. I’m very optimistic
about the work being done by the Center for Safety & Health
Sustainability (CSHS), which has highlighted the influence ofmajor shareholders in corporate decision-making and reportingon health and safety issues. IH and OEHS professionals may
find themselves playing a more important role in the C-suiteand the boardroom.

Engineers (ASSE). We also have agreements with Niosh andOsha. Our immediate past president, Dr. Steven Lacey, hasbeen working closely with Niosh to implement the Safety
Matters campaign.

Zaworski: Does AIHA believe that globalised standards forhazardous exposure levels are possible? Are global standards
feasible? If so, how can they be accomplished?

Zaworski: How does AIHA work with industry partners to
improve health and safety?

Internationally, we have agreements with associations in South
Africa, Vietnam and India. I’m especially pleased with our new
MoU with the Occupational Hygiene Training Association(OHTA), under which we are now an approved training provider.

Nelson: While we don’t have formal agreements with industry
partners, about one-third of our members are employed in private
industry. It’s our largest employment category, with the othermajor categories including consulting firms (about 25%) and ingovernment, the military or academia (each about 10%).

Nelson: AIHA supports occupational exposure limits (OELs)
as a primary tool in disease prevention and believes they are an
essential part of a comprehensive occupational safety and healthprogramme. However, Niosh says that of the 85,000 chemicals
that are commercially available, quantitative health-based OELs
have been developed for only about 1,000.

Our members from industry are active members of our technicalcommittees and our board of directors. For example, members
from the healthcare industry have contributed to guidelines forrespiratory protection, safe patient handling and working withhazardous drugs. Members from manufacturing have made major
contributions to exposure assessment science, and on stewardship,
personal protective equipment, and sampling for nanomaterials.
Other topical areas that have benefited from input by industrial
members include preventive guidelines for exposure to
Legionella, formaldehyde and the body of knowledge fordirect reading instruments.

The difficulties of developing OELs, including lack of data,
scientific uncertainty and legal challenges, argue against thereever being specific OELs for most of the chemicals used in theworkplace. The work done by Niosh in occupational exposure
banding (OEB) may ease the logjam. Available data on chemical
toxicity is used to categorise chemicals into one of five bands,
ranging from the highest to the lowest concentrations.
As more data and/or resources become available, an OEB canbe replaced, for example, by a quantitative health-based OEL. In
contrast to control banding, the OEB does not direct the user toa recommended control technique. Control banding, which has
found wide use internationally in a range of workplace situations,classifies workplace risks into specific control categories or bands,
based on combinations of hazard and exposure information, andrecommends a control technique.

In closing, I’m very optimistic about the future of AIHA. With
our focused approach on priority topics, greater opportunities formembers to ‘micro-volunteer’ and ‘opt in’ to projects and teams,
increased efforts to recruit young people into the profession, andour new CEO, Larry Sloan, at the helm, I’m looking forward toeven greater accomplishments in 2017 and beyond.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) could play an importantrole in the development of quantitative health-based OELs,
with its process of assembling international teams of experts.
However, in my opinion, the application of globalised standards
for hazard exposure levels is problematic. Economic andtechnological feasibility, along with national acceptance, would
limit the use of globalised standards, particularly in nonindustrialised nations.

About Deborah Nelson
Deborah Imel Nelson earned her BSES and MSES from the Universityof Oklahoma’s College of Engineering and her MPH and PhD in
Environmental Health at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center. She has been certified in the comprehensive practice ofindustrial hygiene since 1981 and served as an Osha IH complianceofficer and as a professor of environmental science at the Universityof Oklahoma.

Zaworski: How does AIHA cooperate with groups such as
the International Occupational Health Association (IOHA)
to improve the health and safety of workers worldwide?

For two years. Deborah was an occupational health scientist with
the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, where she conducted exposure
assessments of the global burden of occupational injury and illness.
She recently retired from the Veterinary Services department of the
US Department of Agriculture, where she was the first safety andoccupational health manager.

Nelson: AIHA is a member organisation of the IOHA and assuch participates in its projects and activities. Our new liaison to
IOHA, Dr. Tom Fuller, is eminently qualified and will strengthen
this interaction. We’ll be hosting the 11th IOHA International
Scientific Conference in Washington, DC, in September 2018.

Deborah is a fellow of the AIHA and is currently serving as itspresident. She co-founded the Risk Assessment Committee (nowthe Risk Committee), the Control Banding Working Group (now the
Exposure and Control Banding Committee) and the Fellows Special
Interest Group.

We have memoranda of agreement with a number ofdomestic sister associations, including a new memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with the American Society of Safety
IOHA Newsletter

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September 2017

News
• the ERHMS Info Manager software, user manual, and training
videos; andNiosh releases EHRMS Info Manager
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(Niosh), the US federal institute that conducts research and makes
recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses
and deaths, has announced the availability of a new software
platform called ERHMS Info Manager. This can be used byanyone involved in the deployment and protection of emergency
responders, including:• additional resources.
For more information, see: www.cdc.gov/niosh/

SOFHYT holds annual Occupational
Hygiene Week
As it had done in 2016, the French Occupational Hygienists
Society, SOFHYT, organised its Occupational Hygiene Weekin mid-June. The main event was the annual forum discussion
entitled ‘Assessing risk without measuring it’.

• incident command staff;• response organisation leadership;• health, safety and medical personnel; and• emergency responders.

Representatives from the French Ministry of Labour andthe National Research and Safety Institute (INRS) came tothe event to advise the public about the new regulation relating
to electromagnetic radiation. Professor Jacques Malchaire of
the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium explained
the thinking behind the development of the SOBANE risk
prevention strategy.

ERHMS Info Manager is designed to track and monitor
emergency response and recovery worker activities at all stages
following a natural disaster or other public health emergency.
It is part of the implementation of Niosh’s Emergency
Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHM)
framework, which was devised in partnership with other federal
agencies after the collapse of the World Trade Centre and thesubsequent health problems experienced by responders.

The latest update of the French SUMER study, which is driven
by occupational physicians, covered new areas of knowledge
about working conditions. Some tools for occupational
hygienists were demonstrated, including OSERAY, which
INRS developed to enable employers to evaluate the risks
from electromagnetic radiation.

“The nation depends on more than three million emergency
response workers, who are trained and prepared to respond todisasters and other emergencies where they often face hazardous
conditions,” said Niosh director Dr John Howard. “ERHMS
Info Manager streamlines the important task of response worker
health monitoring and surveillance, saving organisations time
while ensuring the health and safety of emergency responders.”

The afternoon was dedicated to learning experiences fromcompanies, including the use of tools from Lubrizol, 3M andSolvay. Speakers repeatedly emphasised two themes:• The need for all participants to work together and that workers
must be part of the risk assessment process; andERHMS Info Manager uses the Center for Disease Control’s
publicly accessible data management and informatics tool, Epi
Info, for creating forms, and capturing and analysing data specificto emergency response situations. This allows users to:• The value of allocating appropriate resources for risk
assessment, so that simple situations can be assessed at operator
level, allowing occupational hygienists to focus their efforts
on critical situations that require more technical competencies.
For more information, see www.sofhyt.fr• Create responder profiles;• Record response incidents and map incident locations;• Assign responders to an incident roster;• Design forms and surveys using custom andpre-built templates;

AIHA wins three awards
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has
won three dotCOMM awards in recognition of the #IAmIH
campaign, which was launched earlier this year. The dotCOMM
Awards honour excellence in web creativity and digitalcommunication, with entries coming from communication
professionals of all kinds in many different industries.

• Request information from responders by using forms
and surveys; and• View and analyse forms and survey responses.
Alongside this, Niosh has created a new landing page on its
website for information related to emergency responder healthmonitoring and surveillance (www.cdc.gov/niosh/erhms/
default.html?s_cid=3ni7d2-pr-erhms-09052017). This gives
access to:• the ERHMS framework;• online training tools;

IOHA Newsletter

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September 2017

programme. Planned subjects for inclusion are:

AIHA won platinum dotCOMM awards for excellence indocumentary filmmaking for its first-ever day-in-the-life
documentary on an industrial hygienist and for the first-ever#IAmIH comic, and a gold award for the campaign’s website(www.ihheroes.org). The campaign features three day-in-the-life
video installments, with the first two out already and the last due
to be released in early November.

• FAAM;• asbestos in soils;• asbestos: the duty holder guide;• the legal perspective – sentencing guidelines;• the HSE’s analyst inspection programme; and• Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR 2012).
For more information, visit www.bohs.org

The documentaries, created with LAI Videos, sought to captureindustrial hygienists in a variety of professional environmentsfrom the forensics labs of the Michigan State Police to the stepsof the US Capitol and the campus at 3M. Participants tookviewers on facility tours and shared their career stories, to raiseawareness of industrial hygiene as a profession.

Osha, ACC in polyurethane safety alliance
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha)and industry association the American Chemistry Council(ACC) have established a two-year alliance to raise awarenessof how workers are exposed to diisocyanates and to promote safe
practices for their use in the polyurethane industry. This calls for:The comic book, illustrated by Klaus Scherwinski, follows acharacter called IH Hero Rebecca as she is called in for a special
assignment on a South Pacific island recently devastated by atsunami. AIHA said that it hopes the #IAmIH campaign “willhelp inspire the next generation of industrial hygienists”.
For more information, see www.aiha.org• a web-based training programme on the safe use of chemicals
and the potential routes of exposure to users;• developing guidance on medical surveillance and clinicalevaluation techniques for employers and workers using
the chemicals; and• best practices seminars on health and safety proceduresfor Osha, on-site consultation and State Plan staff.

BOHS focuses on asbestos
The British Occupational Health Society (BOHS) will emphasise
the issue of asbestos in the coming months. On 11 October,the society will launch its new faculty for asbestos professionals,
the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM),
and will hold the first of a programme of asbestos roadshows.
The full roadshow schedule is:

Isocyanates are raw materials used to make polyurethane
products, such as insulation, car seats, foam mattresses, shoes andadhesives. Exposure to them can cause irritation of the skin andmucus membranes, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Moreserious health effects include asthma and other lung problems.

• Wednesday 11 October: London – Holiday Inn, Wembley

Osha is the federal agency in charge of setting and enforcing
standards for health and safety at work, and providing training,education and assistance. Through its ongoing allianceprogramme, it works with trade and professional organisations
and other bodies to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries andillnesses by developing compliance assistance tools and resources
and through worker education.
For more information, visit www.osha.gov• Wednesday 18 October: Glasgow – The Studio• Tuesday 31 October: Cardiff – Mercure Cardiff Holland
House Hotel• Monday 6 November: Manchester – The Studio

IOHA 2018: Call for proposals
The theme of the IOHA
International Scientific
Conference in Washington,
DC, in September 2018 is‘Bringing better health to workers worldwide’. IOHA islooking for experts like you to contribute to the profession
by submitting a proposal for a professional development
course or education session in your area of expertise.
The call for proposals opens on 3 January and thedeadline to submit a proposal is 29 January, 2018.

BOHS is running these in conjunction with the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE). The aim is to help companies who work withasbestos and/or manage asbestos risks to keep up to date withkey developments in the industry, including information regarding
the duty to manage and the HSE’s asbestos analyst inspection

IOHA Newsletter

For more information or to submit a proposal please
visit: www.aiha.org/events/ioha2018/pages/default.aspx

5September 2017

Malaysia: Industrial
hygiene outreachprogramme

MIHA organised health hazard classification training for health risk assessor training

The Malaysian Industrial Hygiene Association
is promoting industrial hygiene and continuing
its education programme

MIHA is expecting to play a major role in ensuring the successof IH2C in achieving its objectives. Among the future plans
discussed were:• establishing a platform to share affordable means of controlling
exposure to health hazards at the workplace and targeting small
and medium-size enterprises (SMEs);

As part of Malaysia’s Occupational Safety and Health Master
Plan (OSH-MP) 2020 to support the strategy of mainstreaming
industrial hygiene (IH), the Malaysian Industrial Hygiene
Association (MIHA) has been actively involved in an outreach
initiative designed to drive and promote IH nationally. This iscalled the Industrial Hygiene Catalyst Committee (IH2C)
and MIHA is represented on it by Ng Hon Seng and Marina
Zainal Farid.

• organising IH in school programmes, focusing on laboratorychemical safety and ergonomics issues; and• developing local-content promotional videos on IH toeffectively convey the message and increase public awareness.
Of equal importance, 17 August marked another milestone
for MIHA, when its president, Norhazlina Mydin, officiallysigned a memorandum of understanding with the Korean
Industrial Hygiene Association (KIHA) during it summer
conference at Gyeongju, South Korea. This, MIHA said,“will undoubtedly strengthen the IH capability and professional
sharing platform between both countries and their respective
safety and health practitioners”.

IH2C aims to meet the following objectives:• Fostering collaboration with various associations, industries,
NGOs, health and safety practitioners, government bodies
and agencies;• Promotion and distribution of IH information;• Increasing participation in IH-related programmes
and activities;

Simultaneously, the MIHA Student Chapter organised its firstinternational educational trip to this conference, led by the teamleader of its University Relations Committee, Megat Azman
Megat Mokhtar. Three lecturers and 25 students from Universiti
Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Cyberjaya University College of• Effective dissemination and enforcement of IH regulatory
requirements; and• Increasing IH awareness amongst employers, workers
and the public.

IOHA Newsletter

MIHA invited as a speaker in SMART
College IH forum 20176

September 2017

Medical Sciences (CUCMS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) also took part. The delegates
attended the KIHA summer conference and also visited Hyundai
Heavy Industry, the Korean Occupational Safety and HealthAgency, Soon Chun Hyang University in Seoul and the
3M Exhibition.
As a way of adding value to its stakeholders, as well as its
contribution in supporting the IH outreach programme under
IH2C, MIHA frequently speaks at events. For instance, Kim Kek
Seong gave a speech entitled ‘Nurturing industrial hygienists’ at
the SMART College IH Forum 2017 at Kuala Lumpur on 13 July.
In line with its mission, MIHA continues to organise its various
yearly regional training programmes aimed at enhancing IH
knowledge and awareness. Among the training events that havebeen recently conducted, all at the Corus Hotel in Kuala Lumpur,
have been:• Industry code of practice (ICOP) classification, labelling andsafety data sheets (CLASS) 2014 implementation for chemicalclassifiers, 11-13 July, with trainer Anuar Mohd Mokhtar;• Health hazard classification for health risk assessors, 27 July,
with trainer Shabanon Sharif; and• Guidelines on the use of PPE against chemical hazards, 22-23
August, with trainer Sherlyn Voon Chel Ling.

Summer academic tour programme 2017 in South Korea

Moving forward, MIHA is gearing towards achieving andmaintaining the highest standards in IH by overseeing andprofessionally certifying Malaysian industrial hygienists throughits established and IOHA-recognised certification scheme,
Certified Professional Industrial Hygienist (CPIH). The firstoral examination for CPIH candidates will be held in October.

IOHA Newsletter

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September 2017

Events
response ​and preparedness; management a​ nd leadership; and, ‘emerging
issues ​​and international’. www.aiha.org/events/2017FallConference/Pages/
default.aspx

13th International Conference on Industrial Health,
Safety and Environment
16-17 October 2017
Dubai, UAE

23rd Occupational Health Week: ‘The Human Beingin the Future of Work,’ including: 37th Congress on
Ergonomics, Hygiene, Medicine and Occupational
Security and 16th Colombian Congress on Ergonomics
and More Human Work Environments and Daily Life

Organised by Conference Series, the conference programme includes
plenary lectures, symposia, workshops on a variety of topics, poster
presentations and various programs for participants from all over theworld. The focus is on industrial health, addressing such concerns
as exposure to asbestos, mining and milling dusts, metal and acidvapours, lighting and ergonomic factors. www.industrialhealth.
conferenceseries.com/

31 October-3 November 2017
Hotel Intercontinental, Medellín, Colombia.
The event seeks to raise awareness and promote: the rules and ethics
of occupational health; research, techniques and developments relating
to health and safety at work; and, application and experiences. Themes
include: age and work; applied ergonomics; education and culture forhealth and safety at work; environmental management; gender- andwork-integrated risk management; implementation of Colombia’s General
System of Security and Health at Work (SG-SST) legislation andregulations; occupational hygiene and the environment; managing healthand safety at work; occupational preventative medicine; psychosocial risks;supervision and vigilance trends in health and security at work; toxicology;
and, vibrations. www.semanadelasaludocupacional.com.coSouthern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene(SAIOH) Annual Conference 2017: Occupational
Hygiene: Building Bridges Beyond Borders
25-27 October 2017
Misty Hills Country Hotel and Conference Venue,
Gauteng, South Africa
The event includes keynote presentations from Marianne Levitsky,
president of Workplace Health Without Borders in Canada, Eric Essweinof the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) in
the US and Professor Jérôme Lavoué of the University of Montreal in
Canada. There are also four pre-conference professional development
courses, invited regional and national presenters and sessions dedicatedto the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, ‘All things certification’,stakeholders in occupational health and student presentations.
www.saioh.co.za/page/Conference17

35th AIOH Annual Conference ‘Connect2Prevent’,
National Convention Centre
2-6 December 2017
Canberra, Australia
The conference will bring together some 500 international and national
representatives from industry, defence, public authorities, research,academia and consultants, as well as suppliers of equipment and services
to explore and discuss opportunities and strengths related to occupational
hygiene. It includes the conference gala dinner, at which all the major
awards will be presented. Another feature is the exhibition, featuring‘Excite’, a platform to present products, services or personnel in five-minutepresentation over lunch. www.aioh.org.au/aioh2017/aioh2017

AIHA Fall Conference
30-31 October 2017
Tampa Marriott Hotel, Tampa, Florida, USA
The AIHA Fall Conference features education and enrichment
programmes, including table discussions, workshops, networking
opportunities and roundtables. Attendees also have opportunities to earn
CM credits and CEU/COC points towards their certifications. Over thecourse of four days, there are multiple dedicated sessions on the following
themes: enterprise risk management​​​and risk assessment​; emergency

The Global Exposure Manager has been compiled
for IOHA by the on-line information service,
Chemical Risk Manager.
Disclaimer
While great care has been taken with the compilationof this newsletter, IOHA, its Directors, the editor
and the authors of articles accept no responsibility
for opinions, errors and omissions that may be madein this Newsletter. The responsibility for opinions
expressed in signed articles rests solely with theirauthors and does not constitute an endorsementby the IOHA.

IOHA Newsletter

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September 2017

C
A
PA LL
PE F OR R
SSTRATFORD
UPON AVON
The Premier Conference for
Occupational Hygiene in the UK

16-19 April 2018
Crowne Plaza
Stratford-upon-Avon
Welcome to OH2018
Occupational Hygiene 2018 is the leadinginternational conference in the field of worker
health protection in the UK, focussing on
occupational hygiene and the prevention ofoccupational ill-health and disease.
Following on from the success of OH2017 whichbrought together a global audience of over 330
delegates, BOHS will once again be delivering an
exciting programme which combines inspiring
and thought-leading plenary sessions with
scientific and technical sessions as well as a range
of interactive workshops and case studies.
The conference will bring together researchers,
practitioners, regulators and other experts fromaround the world to discuss the very latest inissues that affect health at work.
The location for this conference is Stratford-uponAvon, a historic town in the heart of England, andthe birthplace of William Shakespeare.
See overleaf for more details.

Submit your abstract online at www.oh-2018.com
For further information visit www.oh-2018.com
or email conferences@bohs.org
9
September 2017

IOHA Newsletter

R
FO S
LL ER
A P
C PA

STRATFORD
UPON AVON 16-19 April 2018
The Premier Conference for
Occupational Hygiene in the UK

Crowne Plaza
Stratford-upon-Avon

We welcome papers on any aspect of occupational hygiene,
worker health protection and occupational / environmental
health but are especially keen to see papers covering topics
in the following areas:• Occupational hygiene/health good practice
Practical workplace experiences
Methods to assess and control risk
• Physical agents• Risk management strategies• Human factors and behavioural science• Future workplace hazards
and emerging risks• Chemical safety
Regulation & product stewardship
Emergency/Incident management• Ergonomics and MSDs
• Legal compliance and best practice(Regulations, ACOPs and standards)• Controls• Exposure science• EMF case studies

Types of submissions

Workshops
Designed to be interactivewith a good degree of
audience participation,
workshops provide an
ideal opportunity to
discuss emerging hygiene
issues and/or develop
participants’ skills. Those
willing to initiate andfacilitate a workshop areencouraged to submit
an outline proposal via
the abstracts submission
process using theWorkshop Submission
Form. Usually 75-90
minutes.

Submission deadline
13 October 2017

Practical Experiencesin the Workplace/
Case Studies
Usually 10 minutes plus
limited time for questions.
Intended to be short,
informal talks illustrating
real world problems andhow they were solved.

Platform Technical
Presentations
Professional practice orscientific research basedpresentations. Usually 15-20
minutes plus limited timefor questions.

Submission deadline
13 October 2017

Submission deadline
13 October 2017

Scientific Posters

IGNITE

Posters are especiallysuited to reporting small
studies, preliminary
findings or projects withlarge data sets that are
difficult to display in oralpresentations. Posters
must be on display
for the duration of theconference.

Not for the fainthearted; IGNITE
gives presenters theopportunity to delivera 5 minute session on
any suitable topic witha slide deck of 20 slides
that auto advance every
15 seconds. The results
are memorable.

Submission deadline
28 February 2018

Submission deadline
28 February 2018

Submit your abstract online at www.oh-2018.com
For further information visit www.oh-2018.com or email conferences@bohs.org

Speaker concessions

Free attendance on the day you are presenting*

BOHS will continue to offer speakers and poster
presenters one free day’s attendance at theconference. If one or more of your submissions are
successful, you will be entitled to the following:

OR

IOHA Newsletter

If you wish to attend the full conference wehave a discounted rate specifically for speakers,
bookable from August via the website.

10* Maximum of one day free for those presenting on one or more days at conference.

EARN EXTRA CPD POINTS
Remember, all presenters areentitled to an extra two CPD
points, in addition to thosegained from attending theconference as a delegate.

September 2017

SAIOH awarded W201
accreditation
it anticipates that the introduction of this type of training“will contribute substantially to capacity and skills building inasbestos proficiency counting in the southern African region,
at a competitive cost”.

The Southern African Institute for Occupational
Hygiene will be able to act as an examiner fora key training module and has also progressedwith its teaching on asbestos work.

Peter-John Jacobs, a co-opted SAIOH council member andits representative at the International Occupational Hygiene
Association (IOHA), attended the IOHA board meeting in Seattle
on 3 June in his capacity as a board member. He also attended the
OHTA AGM on the same day. SAIOH has a working partnershipwith OHTA, which it says benefits the professional developmentof its members.

The Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene(SAIOH) has been formally awarded accreditation to act as an
examiner for the W201 Basic Principles of Occupational Hygiene
module of the Occupational Hygiene Training Association(OHTA). It has also announced developments in its teaching onasbestos work and revealed some details of its annual conferencein October.

The two meetings, which had representatives from more than
15 member associations in attendance, were held in conjunction
with AIHce 2017, the Annual Conference and Exposition of
the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), withwhom SAIOH has a current memorandum of understanding.
SAIOH continues to be called upon to play a prominent roleinternationally and especially in in Africa, where a number of
its members serve as occupational hygiene practitioners.

SAIOH described the accreditation as “a remarkable opportunity”
for itself, its administrators and the members of its Professional
Certification Committee (PCC) “to show that SAIOH cansuccessfully run the examinations according to OHTA
requirements, with strict quality assurance and the high standardof SAIOH’s questions and model answers”. Any southern Africabased approved training provider (ATP) may now order therequired examination papers at a reduced price directly from the
PCC administrator.

Annual conference
SAIOH’s annual conference takes place on 25-27 Octoberat the Misty Hills Country Hotel and Conference Venue, inSouth Africa’s Gauteng province. This is within the ‘Cradle of
Humankind’ World Heritage Site, one of eight in the country.
The region has more preserved hominin fossils than any othersite in the world, thanks to the preservation conditions of its
dolomitic limestone ridges. There are 15 fossil sites in the corearea, which is also home to a diversity of birds, animals andplants, some of which are rare or endangered.

Meanwhile, Julie Hills, a registered occupational hygienist and
SAIOH vice-president for 2017, has received accreditation fromthe British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) to teach themodules related to asbestos work, as part of her involvementin the development of a South Africa-based asbestos counting
proficiency scheme.
The first module which will be offered to occupational hygienists
in southern Africa is ‘IP403 – Counting of asbestos fibres’. This
will be followed in due course by three more:

In keeping with the conference theme – ‘Occupational hygiene:
Building bridges beyond borders’, SAIOH is in the process ofdeveloping a programme, which includes three international
keynote presenters:• IP402 - Surveying and sampling strategies for asbestos inbuildings;• IP404 - Air monitoring, clearance inspections and reoccupation
following the removal of asbestos; and• Marianne Levitsky, president of Workplace Health Without
Borders and occupational hygienist and senior associate at
ECOH Management in Canada, on ‘Workplace health andthe global hygiene community’;• IP405 - Management of asbestos in buildings.
In the UK, these four modules build into an advanced
qualification where occupational hygiene practitioners caneventually attain registration as certified asbestos analysts (CAA).
BOHS is currently modifying a fifth module on bulk analysis forthe international market.

• Eric Esswein, senior occupational hygienist, National Institutefor Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) in the USA, on‘Decision-making in the midst of uncertainty: An occupational
hygienist responding to bioterrorism, SARS and ebola’;• Jérôme Lavoué, associate professor, Departmentof Environmental and Occupational Health, Universityof Montreal, Canada, on ‘Exposure statistics’.

Since each module greatly elevates the knowledge and practice inall aspects of asbestos management and analysis, SAIOH said that

IOHA Newsletter

11

September 2017

There will also be four pre-conference professional
development courses:

In addition, the conference features:• Global Health, Community and Culture, presented by Marianne
Levitsky;• A session dedicated to the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD);• Invited regional and national presenters;• Determining Worker Exposure Risks in Modern Oil and Gas
Extraction: Implications for the Karoo?, presented by Eric
Esswein;• A session dedicated to ‘All things certification’, presented bymembers of SAIOH’s PCC;
• Sessions dedicated to stakeholders and sister organisations in
occupational health, and to student presentations; and• Occupational Radon Exposure Management Systems and
Mitigation Challenges for the Construction Sector and beyond,presented by Ryno Botha, CEO and co-founder, CareTac; and• Free paper sessions with both oral (limited slots available) andposter presentations.

• Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Industrial Ventilation System
to Ensure Airborne Pollutant Exposure Compliance, presented
by Johan Snyman, BBE Consulting.

Please access the SAIOH website for more information,
updates and online registration: www.saioh.co.za

SAIOH membership by category, gender and location (July 2017)
FemaleOccupational hygiene category

Male

n

%

n

%

South Africa

290

53

261

47

Botswana

3

5

Namibia1

3

Tanzania01

Occupational hygiene assistant (OHA)

Occupational hygiene technologist (OHT)South Africa

87

Botswana

3

3

Namibia2

1

Australia

01

New Zealand

1

0

43

114

57

Occupational hygienist (OH)South Africa

50

Botswana

10Namibia

0

2

USA

0

1

Sub-total

438

26

141

45

74

533

55

In addition to the above, there is another category which is growing substantially:
Registered occupational hygiene assistant (student)
South Africa

54

68

25

32

Total SAIOH membership

492

47

558

53

IOHA Newsletter

12

September 2017

Turning the tide on
occupational disease
Dr Takala says words are being turned into actions, with examples
in China – where the Ministry of Health is supporting training
in rural communities, and Bangalore, where the local associationof occupational health is planning to carry out local training. In
Singapore, meanwhile, the Ministry of Manpower has adopted
a Vision Zero, which entails:

Death and illness caused by occupational
diseases are on the increase. Jukka Takala,co-author of the latest ILO data report, tells
GEM that a more aspirational vision is needed.
Recent figures reported by the International Labour Organisation(ILO) indicate that fatal work-related diseases jumped by 20%
in the first half of this decade, rising from 2 million in 2010
to 2.4 million in 2015. In total, the report, ‘Global estimatesof occupational accidents and work-related illnesses’, estimatesthat over 7,500 people die every day because of their work:
1,000 from occupational accidents and 6,500 fromwork-related diseases.

• identifying leaders who can bring about a change in mindset;• developing performance measures to track progress andfacilitate regular reviews;• providing a compelling case, to ensure support and continued
buy-in from industry; and• clearly communicating the benefits of the approach from amoral and economic standpoint.

Respiratory diseases are blamed for the lion’s share of theincrease. Further, data from Asia indicates that the region now
contributes to 65% of all work-related mortality, compared with
figures of around 10% for the Americas, Europe and Africa.

However, he is frustrated by a lack of vision at the international
level – citing the World Health Organisation (WHO) that 93%
of spending globally is on treating illnesses and just 7% on
preventing them.

Noting that respiratory diseases are now the third largest causeof fatal work-related diseases, after circulatory diseases andmalignant neoplasms, the report calls for a new paradigm to be
adopted to tackle vapours, gases, dusts and fumes, which are themajor cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
and asthma.

Ambitious targets
While the ILO promoted a framework for safety and health,in establishing a convention in 2006 with a toolbox of measures,
Dr Takala would like to see specific ambitious targets set toeliminate occupational cancers. “These cancers are man-made,they are not caused by nature. If you use chemicals and dusts ina safe way, the cancers are entirely preventable,” he says.

Other factors include exposure to coal mine dust, asbestos,silica, external tobacco smoke at work, welding and cuttinggases and fumes, cement dust, diesel exhausts, spray painting,organic solvents and possibly man-made mineral fibres. The
report adds that preventive measures should be taken to reduce
exposures in the workplace to such gases, which it says are often
under-regulated.

Even though millions of workers suffer from occupational
diseases, Dr Takala says that WHO and the ILO appear to give
low priority to the issue, and are reluctant to use words like‘eliminate’ for diseases like cancer. This, he believes, is partly
because of experience.
He notes that, back in 2003, WHO and ILO agreed on a jointstatement to eliminate disease caused by asbestos exposure. There
has been little progress on this because of the continued supportof the industry by key asbestos-producing countries (see box).
“But if you don’t try, what will happen?” he asks.

Preventive action needed
Jukka Takala, a senior consultant to the Singapore Ministry of
Manpower’s Workplace Safety and Health Institute and presidentof the International Commission on Occupational Health (Icoh),co-authored the ILO report.

Dr Takala is hopeful that the EU could provide impetus –referring to recently announced initiatives by the European
Commission and its Roadmap on Carcinogens. Several
organisations are involved in the voluntary scheme – which
initially runs for three years – to raise awareness about the risks
arising from exposure to carcinogens in the workplace andexchange good practices.

He believes in being proactive and preventing occupational
disease, rather than dealing with the results of occupational injury
or illness. This is a key theme for Icoh, which adopted a statementthat every workplace should include occupational health services
at its triennial meeting in Seoul in 2015.

IOHA Newsletter

13

September 2017

people say there is a conflict between industrialisation and strong
occupational safety regulation. But strong regulation never killed
anyone,” he says.

Similarly, he says, the US has had some success in tackling silica
dust. He also notes that the UK’s Institution of Occupational
Health (Iosh), supported by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE),
has a programme called ‘No time to lose – to eliminate cancer’
which could play an important role, especially in countries where
English is understood and there are active promoters of such a
programme. These activities provide models for others, he says.

The present highly developed and industrialised countries have
all taken safety and health at work seriously, and this contributes
to their achieving success. In his view, countries with emerging
economies should see this as essential to their development rather
than an optional extra.

Another important area for Icoh is the ethical component ofoccupational health. Originally , it was dominated by medical andhealth practitioners, who still make up a large portion ofits membership. Dr Takala says they face difficult questions like:
What should they do if they find companies behaving badly?
How should they respond to rectify problems?

Dr Takala also believes that industry could spend more
to improve health and safety standards. This, in his view,is particularly important when you consider the number ofpeople becoming sick from exposure to hazardous chemicals.
If 800,000 people die each year from this, he estimates millions
becoming ill from occupational diseases caused by exposures
to substances that cause cancer, or asthma or other hazardous
materials and processes.

Richer countries have a lot at their disposal and people should
know about the issue, and if they do not they should be educatedin school, in his view. “People should think about these issues
when they buy their food and clothes. They should know thatsome companies gain from breaking ‘the rules’.” He notes thatsome progress has been made on this front, with better educationand initiatives in areas such as child labour and fair trade.

“This creates a problem over the longer term as people will beless able to work throughout their whole expected working career
and will need medical treatment. This creates the bulk of the costof occupational disease.”

Magnitude of the problem
Dr Takala says that Icoh has a good reputation, is well trusted
and has some influence among decision makers, but he believes it
must do more to demonstrate the magnitude of the problem andidentify partners and establish coalitions, such as with UN bodies.
“People tend not to be afraid of activities they do every day, andas well as this familiarity breeding confidence, many people areconcerned they may lose their jobs if they question workplace
practices,” he says.

This creates a problem over the longer
term as people will be less able to workthroughout their whole expected working
career and will need medical treatment.
This creates the bulk of the cost ofoccupational disease.

He notes that another trend in employment – that of outsourcing
production – means that many people work in unregulated,unmonitored environments. He has seen people working with
open drums of adhesives, based on xylene and benzene solvents,
in home-based micro enterprises, alongside their children, gluingsoles to sport shoes in Asian countries.

WHO action on asbestos
Currently about 125 million people around the world are
exposed to asbestos at the workplace. In 2004, asbestosrelated lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis fromoccupational exposures were estimated to result in
107,000 deaths and 1.5 million disability-adjusted life
years. Actions to elimination of asbestos-related diseases
include:The latest ILO data gives an idea of the scale of the problem ofoccupational cancers and other workplace-related diseases. But,
Dr Takala says, further progress is needed in terms of measuringexposures in the workplace. “It is complex, you need to knowwhat to measure, where, and link that to an effect. The National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) in the US
has made a fair amount of guidance materials in this area.”• recognising that the most efficient way to eliminate
asbestos-related diseases is to stop the use of all typesof asbestos;• replacing asbestos with safer substitutes anddeveloping economic and technological mechanisms
to stimulate its replacement;

Stronger regulation and investment
In addition, a strong regulatory framework and enforcement isneeded, Dr Takala says. He notes that increasingly regulators
are talking about chemicals, and are taking sound management
seriously. In Asia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan havetaken a lead; others, including China, are catching up.

• taking measures to prevent exposure to asbestos
in place and during asbestos removal; and• improving early diagnosis, treatment, social andmedical rehabilitation of asbestos-related diseases andestablish registries of people with past and/or current
exposures to asbestos.

For some developing economies, basic needs such as food andlivelihood are often a higher priority, because of poverty. “Some

IOHA Newsletter

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September 2017

Styrene exposure:
Q&A with Niosh
Chemical Risk Manager speaks to Niosh’s Dr
Randall Nett about his work on the link between
work-related styrene exposure and lung disease.

CRM: What health hazards are already associatedwith styrene?

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (Niosh) in the US recently carried out a ​report​onthe link between work-related styrene exposure and lung disease.
They were led by Dr Randall Nett, a medical officer in Niosh’s
Respiratory Health division. The results, which have been
published in the A​ merican Journal of Industrial Medicine, establishedthat there is indeed a link between work-related styrene exposureand lung disease. Chemical Risk Manager (CRM) asked Dr Nett
some questions about his work.

Dr Nett: The International Agency for Research on Cancer
classifies styrene as possibly carcinogenic to humans. In addition,
currently available epidemiologic studies demonstrate that styrene
is probably associated with non-malignant respiratory diseases.
These include asthma and obliterative bronchiolitis, a rare andirreversible severe lung disease which causes scar tissue andinflammation in the small airways, eventually making breathingdifficult. Finally, styrene has been associated with various
other health effects, including changes in colour vision, mucus
membrane irritation, hearing loss and neurocognitive impairment.

CRM: How is styrene mainly used and can it be substituted?
Dr Nett: Styrene is the monomer for polystyrene. It is widelyused in the production of strong, lightweight products thatare commonly used in daily life, in areas such as packaging,construction, transportation, household and energy. Examples
include the reinforced plastics used in boats and tanks, automobile
body putty, food containers, tyres, wind power turbines, synthetic
marble flooring, pipes and foams. In some instances, otherchemicals can be substituted for styrene, but this depends on

IOHA Newsletterthe individual product and manufacturing process. We do nothave information about the costs of styrene or possible
styrene substitutes.

CRM: What are the regulatory considerations, nationallyand internationally?
Dr Nett: The Occupational Safety and Health Agency (Osha)established a permissible exposure limit of 100ppm over aneight-hour time weighted average (TWA). Niosh itself has arecommended exposure limit (REL) of 50ppm over an eight-

15

September 2017

hour TWA, while the American Conference of Governmental
Industrial Hygienists has a threshold limit value of 20ppm overan eight-hour TWA. Because Niosh does not create or enforce US
regulations for occupational exposure limits to styrene, we suggest
contacting Osha for questions regarding any pertinent regulations.

irritation of the eyes and of the respiratory system, not on reports
of non-malignant respiratory disease. For this reason, further
epidemiologic and animal studies will be critical to learning more
about worker safety with respect to the risk of non-malignant
respiratory disease and particular levels of styrene exposure.

CRM: On what basis was your study carried out?

CRM: Is it right to take a similar approach to California’s
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which
adopted a Proposition 65 no significant risk level for styreneof 27 micrograms/day (µg/day) over an eight-hour work day?

Dr Nett: In the US, an estimated 90,000 workers are exposed
to styrene. Previously published case reports described workers
who became ill with non-malignant respiratory diseases following
relatively short-term exposures. Based on these reports, we
suspected that occupational exposure to styrene could be
associated with non-malignant respiratory diseases, but wewanted to learn more. We conducted a systematic literature review,
covering 55 scientific papers that described either a case of illness
related to styrene exposure, a study of the respiratory healtheffects of a group of workers exposed to styrene or astudy investigating the causes of death of workers exposed
to styrene. We also included two additional case reports of
respiratory illnesses that had not previously been publishedin the scientific literature.

Dr Nett: This is lower than the levels argued for by the Styrene
Information and Research Centre of 2,100μg/day for inhalation
exposure and 5,600μg/day for oral exposure​. Until we learn more,
we cannot comment on the risk for workers developing nonmalignant respiratory disease at particular exposure levels.
CRM: What are the best practice ways for workers
to use styrene?
Dr Nett: Controlling occupational exposures to styrene is
the fundamental method of protecting workers. The preferred
method for achieving this are limitation of styrene exposure
followed by the substitution of styrene for a safer alternative.
However, the former might be difficult for employers to
implement. In this instance, implementing engineering controls
would be the next preferred method. While engineering controls
can be initially costly, they provide protection independent ofworker interactions. If these methods do not adequately protect
workers from styrene exposure, then the use of administrative
controls and personal protective equipment is recommended.

CRM: What were your key findings?
Dr Nett: After we compiled all the evidence and completed
our analysis, we concluded that occupational exposure to styrene
is a potential risk factor for non-malignant respiratory disease.
Other than the two newly described case reports, this paper
was reporting information already available to the scientificand medical community in the published literature. However,
our manuscript was the first summary and comprehensive
analysis of all the published evidence.
CRM: What other findings would you highlight?
Dr Nett: It is also notable that our review demonstrated thatworkers who became ill with a respiratory disease developed
their first respiratory symptoms on average only ten months
after their first exposure to styrene. This means that, unlike
cancer, respiratory disease can occur in workers after shortterm exposures, particularly when they are exposed to highconcentrations of styrene. A limitation of the analysis is thatthe workers included in these studies were exposed to otherchemicals in the workplace, which might have contributed to thedevelopment of respiratory disease-related outcomes. Additional
animal and epidemiologic studies are needed to further describe
the risk of respiratory disease for workers exposed to styrene.
CRM: Is it possible for workers to use styrene safely?
Dr Nett: Whilst we concluded through our review of thescientific literature that styrene is a potential risk factor for thedevelopment of non-malignant respiratory disease, we still havemuch to learn about this risk. The Niosh REL was primarily
based on reports of effects on the human nervous system and

IOHA Newsletter

16

September 2017

News from:

Chemical Risk Manager
ILO calls for global forum to tackle
occupational diseases

Nics updates rules for contingency substancelist chemicals

5 September 2017

5 September 2017

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has stated that
2.4m deaths each year are caused by occupational diseases globally– over 85% of all work-related mortalities. The estimated costs ofthese illnesses and injuries represent almost 4% of global GDP,nearly $3tn.

South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety (Nics) has
announced changes to the rules on the use of personal protective
equipment (PPE) by hazardous substances handlers, under theChemical Substances Control Act (CCL).
The aim of the amendments is to ensure clear guidelines on PPE,
its safety and use on-site. They were made in accordance with apartial amendment announced on 30 May, when 28 substanceswere added to a list of ‘contingency substances’, bringing thetotal to 97. Facilities handling such substances must report any
accidents to the authorities within 15 minutes of it taking place.

Speaking at the XXI World Congress on Safety and Health at
Work in Singapore, ILO director-general Guy Ryder said that the
new figures point to a growing body of evidence, demonstrating
the global cost of failing to adequately address existing andemerging occupational safety and health (OSH) concerns and its
importance to sustainable development.

The latest changes include:“Clearly there is a recognition that certain OSH challenges areglobal and require global solutions,” said Mr Ryder, adding that
the ILO was ready to help form a global coalition with key
partners to meet the challenge. The Finnish social affairs andhealth minister, Pirkko Mattila, proposed a forum to steer the
future of work. Important issues included:• additional guidelines for types of PPE;• safety standards for each substance, including the 28
recently added;• further improvement of the types of standard for PPE for eachcontingency substance; and• improvement of exemption rules for equipment use, based on
considerations of onsite safety and suitability.

• the need for reliable OSH data;• creating mechanisms for exchange of the data;• improving OSH in global supply chains;

Public consultation ran until 11 September, with the proposedchanges taking effect on 1 January 2018.

• knowledge and expertise globally; and• fostering proactive OSH compliance strategies at national level.

Further Informationwww.chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/58471

Further information:www.chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/58467

IOHA Newsletter

17

September 2017

monoxide and heat stress exposure, which can contribute to otherneurological impairments.
The authors added: “Given the changes in the manufacturingsector around new technologies and employment arrangements,
new knowledge is needed to prevent illnesses, injuries andfatalities. While many workplaces comply with legal or obligatory
requirements and implement recommended interventions, few
publications exist documenting the long-term effectiveness ofthese actions.”

Swedish scientists link noxious substance
exposures to increased arthritis risk
30 August 2017
Noxious airborne substances are the main suspects in a threefold
increase in the rheumatoid arthritis risk for male bricklayers or
concrete workers, according to a recent study by researchers at
the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.The research considered
3,522 cases and 5,580 controls and looked at men and women
separately. The report is published in Arthritis Care and Research.

Further Informationwww.chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/58373

Silica, mineral oil, asbestos, pesticides and textile dusts may be
implicated in a similar mechanism to smoking, with the strongest
recognised environmental exposure leading to joint inflammationand damage. Organic solvents, metal fragments and motor
exhaust also pose a potential risk. There were elevated risks formen working as material handling operators and in electrical andelectronic occupations.

Bisphenol A: Dutch experts call for new OEL
28 July 2017
A Dutch expert committee has provisionally recommended thatits government implement a new national occupational exposure
limit (OEL) for bisphenol A (BPA), which is commonly used inpolycarbonate, epoxy resins and thermal paper for till and credit
card terminal rolls.

Further Informationwww.chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/58278

Current Dutch OELs for BPA are 2mg/m3 for the inhalable
fraction and 5mg/m3 for the respirable fraction, both as aneight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). The new draft proposal
from the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Safety
recommends an OEL of 2.5µg/m3 (0.0025mg/m3), as well
as a skin notation.

Niosh consults on ten-year research agenda
30 August 2017
Consultation has begun in the US and will run until 23
October on a research agenda for the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) from 2016 to 2026.
The National Occupational Research Agenda (Nora)
Manufacturing Sector Council, Niosh’s stakeholder and research
partnership programme, developed a document to set theparameters for research, information and action to prevent
occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

The committee took account of the possibility of low-dose
harm to the liver, kidneys and mammary glands, as well as the
reproductive, metabolic, neuro-behavioural and immune systems.
It could not find enough evidence to form a reliable basis onwhich to support a health-based recommended OEL. Based on
the possibility of significant harm, however, it suggested taking a‘pragmatic’ approach.

According to this document, silica dust, cancer and neurologicalillnesses are central to the OSH research needs of industry for the
next decade. Particular noxious substances and linked health risks
highlighted include:

The EU has set an indicative OEL for inhalable BPA dust of
10mg/m3. However, this is not mandatory and national OELs
vary from one member state to another - for inhalable fractions,they range from 3 to 10 mg/m3 as an eight-hour TWA. In 2014,
the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on OELs
recommended an inhalable fraction OEL of 2mg/m3 as aneight-hour TWA.

• dust-related lung diseases;• nanomaterials;• chemicals, generally;• respiratory diseases;• occupational cancer;

Further Informationwww.chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/57855• cardiovascular disease;• neurological diseases; and• reproductive damage.

Exposure to workplace CNTs assessed with‘most suitable’ approach

These “contribute greatly to debilitating acute and chronic
conditions in the manufacturing industry,” the document said.
Other concerns focus on asthma, beryllium, respirable silica,
elongated mineral particles, heavy metals and organic solvents.

25 July 2017
The most suitable way of assessing exposure to carbon nanotubes
in the workplace is a combination of carbon analysis and scanningelectron microscopy (SEM), research has shown.

Welding is an occupation singled out for its associated risks.
These include manganese fumes that may lead to a Parkinsonian
syndrome known as ‘manganism’, as well as lead, iron, carbon
IOHA Newsletter

18

September 2017

The research team comprised scientists from:

CMD 1 also revises the limits for vinyl chloride monomer andhardwood dusts in the light of more recent scientific data. A
plenary vote on CMD1 in Parliament has yet to be scheduled.

• the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Research;• the Dutch Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences;• the University of Leuven in Belgium;

The Commission has called on Council and Parliament to reacha swift agreement on a second proposal (CMD2), covering afurther seven priority chemicals which were identified throughthe consultation process in January:• Belgian occupational health specialist Idewe; and• the US National Cancer Institute.
They collected personal breathing zone samples from workers at
a company producing commercial multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
They used Institute of Occupational Medicine inhalable dust
samplers to capture the inhalable size fraction. The samples wereanalysed with carbon analysis, inductively coupled plasma mass
spectrometry and SEM with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

• mineral oils used in internal combustion engines;• certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures;• trichloroethylene;• 4,4’- methylenedianiline;• epichlorohydrin;• ethylene dibromide; andThe research was funded by NanoNextNL, a €250m publicprivate partnership between the government and a consortiumof over 100 companies, universities and institutes. It has been
published in the journal Annals of Work Exposures and Health.

• ethylene dichloride.
In June, the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer
Affairs Council agreed a package of measures on CMD2,
concerning substitution, stricter limit values and updating thesewhen new scientific knowledge emerges. The Commission also
intends to present a proposal for the next set of chemicals earlyin 2018.

Further Informationwww.chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/57859

European Commission to assess
reprotoxins after workplace law deal

For more information:
https://chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/57674
https://chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/57262

18 July 2017
The European Commission has called on the European
Parliament and Council of Ministers to introduce stricter controls
in the wake of their landmark agreement on a carcinogens andmutagens Directive (CMD) proposal. The Commission has been
seeking a consistent framework for carcinogens for a long timeand promised robust measures in May.

Technology exposing lung cells tonanoparticles could be used in workplace
11 July 2017
A system allowing researchers to test how airborne nanoparticles
affect human cells in vitro could be used to study occupational
exposure. Researchers from the Paris Lodron University ofSalzburg (PLUS) and the Flemish Institute for TechnologicalResearch developed the so-called Navetta system to study how
living cells respond to engineered nanoparticles in the air.

In June, the Council and Parliament reached a provisional
agreement on proposals to update the CMD. This requires theCommission to assess the possibility of including reprotoxic
substances in the scope of the CMD by Q1 2019, and may, as aresult, present a legislative proposal.

A gas stream carries the nanoparticles over cells in an exposure
chamber. An electrostatic field ensures that the particles deposit
evenly, while reporter cells show adverse effects. Depositing
particles into cells directly from the gas phase is thought toprovide more realistic exposure conditions than traditional‘wet’ in vitro approaches.

Two updates to the Directive are progressing through the the
EU institutions currently. The agreement covers the first update(CMD1), which sets OELs for 11 substances:• respirable crystalline silica dust;• certain chromium (VI) compounds;• some refractory ceramic fibres;• 1,2-epoxypropane;“The device is intended to provide data on safety of airborne
particles, which is in principle also of high relevance foroccupational exposure,” said Albert Duschl of PLUS. The teams
have applied for a patent on Navetta to enable future commercial
development of the system. However, there are no concrete plans
for a spin-out yet. The technology is described in the journal
Environmental Science and Technology.

• 1,3-butadiene;• 2 nitropropane;• acrylamide;• bromoethylene;• ethylene oxide;• Hydrazine; andFor more information• O-toluidine;

IOHA Newsletterwww.chemicalwatch.com/crmhub/57488

19

September 2017

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