21 March 2018
Chemicals compliance
The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) also recommended occupational exposure limits (OELs) for benzene, nickel and its compounds and acrylonitrile. These opinions conclude the response to the European Commission, which for the first time asked RAC to assess the scientific basis for setting OELs.
BENZENE: Benzene is a genotoxic carcinogen, known to cause leukaemia. RAC is of the opinion that a threshold based on the indirect genotoxic effects of benzene in workers can be used to derive a new occupational exposure limit. The proposed OEL of 0.05 ppm. Exposure to benzene occurs in the petroleum and chemical industries and also as a result of gasoline engine emissions and combustion products.
ACRYLONITRILE: RAC also proposed an OEL of 0.45 ppm for acrylonitrile, a monomer used in many plastics.
NICKEL: For nickel and its compounds, it proposed OELs of 0.005 mg/m3 for respirable dust and 0.03 mg/m3 for inhalable dust.
OELs set the maximum concentration for such substances in the air at workplaces in the EU.
For more information visit the ECHA website
04 April 2024
Chemicals compliance
On 3 April 2024, Regulation 2024/996 amending Annexes II, III, V and VI of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 was published. Below is the list of the amendments: Annex II (prohibited substances): the substance...