Community news|08/03/17

Chemical substances: A new European directive establishes a fourth list of IOELVs

Home > The news of EUROGIP and occupational risks in Europe > Chemical substances: A new European directive establishes a fourth list of IOELVs

European Directive 2017/164 adopted on 31 January 2017 establishes a fourth list of indicative occupational exposure limit values (IOELVs), in order to protect workers from risks arising from exposure to hazardous chemicals. The list includes carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, manganese and diacetyl, and 26 other chemical agents.

The 28 Member States must now adopt the national provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 21 August 2018. “For certain substances, it is necessary to take into account the possibility of penetration through the skin in order to ensure the best possible level of protection. Among the chemical agents listed in the 31 entries in the Annex to this Directive, SCOEL identified the possibility of significant uptake through the skin for glycerol trinitrate, carbon tetrachloride, hydrogen cyanide, methylene chloride, nitroethane, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, methyl formate, tetrachloroethylene, sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide. It is therefore appropriate to set in the Annex to this Directive notations indicating the possibility of significant uptake through the skin for these chemical agents, in addition to the IOELVs”.

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