[Criteria for evaluating exposure to chemical substances in Poland: procedures for suppression and applications]

The major objective of setting values of chemical concentrations in the work environment is to reduce the risk of occupation-related exposure to levels regarded as safe to humans. In the standard setting process, a critical assessment of the available literature data on toxicity of a given chemical and related health effects in the population exposed, depending on concentrations and exposure duration, is essential. Such an assessment performed by a group of experts is a difficult and responsible task since the available data are frequently incomplete and extrapolation of the results of animal experiments aimed at setting limits of concentrations safe to humans raises multiple doubts. The aim of this paper was to compare the procedures of setting permissible values for chemical factors in Poland and throughout the world and to highlight differences in their interpretation. In addition, a brief history of setting admissible limits, as well as definitions of hygiene standards used in Poland, the USA, Germany, the UK and in the former Soviet Union together with the ways of their formulation are presented. The country-to-country variations of attitudes towards setting admissible levels of exposure to carcinogenic agents are worthy of special mention. Maximum admissible concentrations of chemicals in the work environment suggested by experts and adopted by the state administration should not be regarded as constant and completely safe to the human health, thus the existing systems should take account of the need to verify these values with an inflow of updated information on chemical toxicity.