Solvent Transfer-Efficiency of Risk Management Measures

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Industrial Hygiene
• Chemical Risk Assessment

Background:

• Workplace handling of volatile solvents requires effective exposure controls.
• Risk Management Measures (RMMs) are crucial under REACH regulations.
• Standard phrases in safety data sheets (SDS) and EUPhraC describe these controls.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the airborne protection provided by various workplace exposure controls.
• To evaluate the efficacy of typical risk management measures (RMMs) for volatile solvent handling.
• To validate existing risk assessment models.

Main Methods:

• Laboratory simulations using ethanol as a model volatile solvent.
• Continuous monitoring of ethanol emissions using a portable IR spectrometer.
• Assessment of combined workplace exposure controls (e.g., containment, extract ventilation, drum pump).

Main Results:

• The average emission reduction performance of investigated RMMs exceeded 90%.
• Combined controls demonstrated significant effectiveness in reducing airborne solvent concentrations.
• Results align with expectations from ESIG and ECETOC Targeted Risk Assessment (TRA) models.

Conclusions:

• Investigated RMMs are suitable for reducing airborne solvent exposure in workplaces.
• Laboratory simulations confirm the protective potential of common exposure control strategies.
• The findings support the predictive accuracy of the ESIG/ECETOC TRA model.