Corporate occupational exposure limits: the current state of affairs

It has been claimed that the implementation of occupational exposure limits has been instrumental for the near elimination of serious occupational disease in the Western world. Although exposure limits or guides for most large volume chemicals have been established, the majority of the 10,000 chemicals which are routinely used in industry do not have them. As a result, many firms have chosen to establish internal limits to protect their employees as well as the persons who purchase those chemicals. This paper reviews the most important issues discussed in a 2-day symposium on corporate exposure limits which was sponsored by the AIHA Workplace Environment Exposure Limits Committee (WEEL). Thirteen representatives of industry and professional organizations presented papers which addressed various aspects of the process for setting internal exposure limits. The various policies and methodologies used by large American companies which have set limits for many years and their benefits were discussed. The history and function of Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) Maximum Allowable Concentrations (MACs), Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) and Workplace Environment Exposure Limits (WEELs) also were reviewed. Some of the legal aspects of setting corporate limits and their role in the Product Safety arena were discussed.