SIGNIFICANCE OF THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES

Dr.D.J.PARIKH,

Environmental Hygiene/ Monitoring,

NIOH ,Ahmendabad, Gujarat...

Threshold Limit Values and its Significance

One of the concepts is that the TLV for a toxic substance below which there is no likelihood of any worker exposed to the contaminant being harmed.Thus the use of TLV serves the end purpose of protecting a large majority of workers from health hazards.

Threshold Limit Values

The concept is similar to the inoculation

programme against communicable disease in public health If TLV is used intelligently in practice the end purpose of occupational health of protecting a large majority of workers from health hazards can be achieved .

Threshold Limit Values

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS HAVE SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH,ADOPT AND ENFORCE SAFE CONCENTRAION LEVELS FOR THE VARIOUS TOXIC CONTAMINANTS LIKELY TO BE ENCOUNTERED OCCUPATIONALLY

DIFFERENT NAMES OF TLV

Maximum Permissible Concentration (MPC.) Maximum Allowable/ Admissible or Acceptable Concentration (MAC) Threshold Limit Value (TLV) Maximum Permissible Limit (MPL) Ceiling Limit (C)

..

DEFINITION
(A)

(B)

Airborne concentration of toxic substance representing condition under which it is believed that all workers exposed repeatedly for 8 hours daily of a 40 hours week would not suffer any adverse effects during their working life or subsequently. Airborne concentration of toxic substance at which neither direct or indirect behavioral and neurotoxin effects, including alteration or reflexes, or adaptive or protective reaction are detectable. According to the definition (A) are practical and realistic, whereas those according (B) represent an ideal desirable goal. USA and Western European Countries =(A) USSR and East European Countries = (B).

 SOVIET VALUES ARE CEILING LIMITS AT

ANY ONE TIME AND ARE THEREFORE MORE RIGOUROUS IN PRACTICE U.S TLVs ARE BASED ON TIME WEIGHTED AVERAGE CONCENTRATION FOR 8 HOURS SHIFT AND 40 HOURS

(C)

TLVs ARE BASED

BEST AVAILABLE
INFORMATION PERTAINING TO TOXIC SUBSTANCE INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON HUMAN VOLUNTEERS AND ANIMALS

COMBINAT ION
OF THREE

Threshold Limit Values

TLV ARE BASED ON : Information pertaining to the toxic substance From Industrial Experience Experimental Studies on Human and Animal A combination of the three .

THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES

TLV is based on the basis of a NORMAL Work day Exposure may differ depending upon : Production Rate Use of the Substance Climatic Conditions Intensity of Work

THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES

Workers who breathe through their

mouth ,rather than nose may be exposed to higher concentration of contaminants

Lung ventilation rate may increase if :The nature of work is heavy Work requires a high metabolic work rate The work-conditions are hot or humid Work is performed at altitude

A.C.G.I.H

The American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists is an organization devoted to the administrative and technical aspects of occupation and environmental health .The association has contribution to the development of worker health protection .The conference is a professional society,not a government agency .

POLICY STATEMENT ON THE USES OF TLVs AND BELs

THE THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES (TLVS) AND

BIOLOGICAL EXPOSURE INDICES (BEIS) ARE DEVELOPED AS GUIDELINES TO ASSIST IN THE CONTROL OF HEALTH HAZARDS. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS OR GUIDELINE ARE INTENDED FOR USE IN THE PRACTICE OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE, TO BE INTERPRETED AND APPLIED ONLY BY A PERSON TRAINED IN THIS DISCIPLINE . THEY ARE NOT DEVELOPMENT FOR USE AS LEGAL STANDARDS,ACGIH DOES NOT ADVOCATE THEIR USE AS SUCH.

Threshold Limit Values

U.S.A: TLVs are incorporated in legislation by the OSHA INDIA : TLVS are adopted or recommended officially by GOVT Agencies OTHER COUNTRIES : Voluntary compliance is expected.

AMENDED FACTORIES ACT 1987,SECTION 41-F COVERS PERMISSIBLE LIMITS OF EXPOSURE OF CHEMICALS AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND THE SECOND SCHEDULE PRESCRIBING SUCH LIMITS FOR 117 CHEMICALS WERE ALSO ADDED. IN U.S.A THE TLVs ARE INCORPORATION IN LEGISLATION BY THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (OSHA).THEY ARE NOT LEGALLY DEFINED VALUES BUT REPRESENT LEVELS FOR GOODS WORK PRACTICE.

TLVs ARE AT BEST ESTIMATES ARRIVED AT THROUGH EDUCATED GUESS AND INCORPORATION A FACTOR OF SAFETY, WHICH MAY VARY DEPENDING ON THE INHERENT TOXICITY OF THE SUBSTANCE.

THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES

TLV should be used as guideline in the control of health hazards and should not be used as a dividing line between safe and dangerous concentration . They are not a relative index of the hazards, a criteria of air pollution or nuisance, an estimate of toxic potential of interrupted exposure or a proof of an existing diseases or physical condition.

DEFINITION OF TIME-WEIGHTED AVERAGE CONCENTRATION

Time- Weighted Average: The timeweighed average concentration for a normal 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek,to which nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day by day, without adverse effect.

SHORT TERM EXPOSURE LIMIT (TLV-STEL)

Short Term Exposure Limit (TLV-STEL) The concentration to which workers can be exposed continuously for a short period of time without suffering from (1) Irritation (2) Chronic or Irreversible tissue damage (3) Narcosis of sufficient degree to increase injury,impair self-rescue or materially reduce work efficiency , and provide that the daily TLV-TWA is not exceeded.

CEILING(TLV-C)

The

concentration that should not be exceeded during any part of the working exposure.

STEL-TLV

STELs are recommended only when toxic

effects have been reported from high short-term exposures in either humans or animals.A STEL is defined as a 15-minute TWA exposure which should not be exceeded at any time during workday even if the 8-hour TWA is within the TLV-TWA.

THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUE CEILING (TLV-C)

THE CONCENTRATION THAT SHOULD NOT BE EXCEEDED DURING ANY PART OF THE WORKING EXPOSURE. IN CONVENTIONAL INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE PRACTICE IF INSTANTANEOUS MONITORING IS NOT FEASIBLE, THEN THE TLV-C CAN BE ASSESSED BY SAMPLING OVER A 15- MINIUTE PERIOD EXCEPT FOR THESE SUBSTANCES THAT MAY CAUSE IMMEDIATE IRRITATION WHEN EXPOSURES ARE SHORT.

Conversion of TLVs in ppm to mg/m3

TLV in mg/m3 = (TLV in ppm)(Gram Molecular W eight of Substance) 24.45

TLV in ppm = (TLV in mg/m3)(24.45) ( Gram Molecular Weight Of Substance)

BIOLOGICAL EXPOSURE INDICES (BELs)

BELs are reference values intended as guidelines for the evaluation of potential health hazards in the practice of industrial hygiene BELs apply for eight hour exposures,five days a week. BELs are not intended for use as a measure of adverse effects or for diagnosis of occupational illness.

(1)Rational

Approach to setting community air quantity standards to protect not only population at large,but also animals life, vegetation and structure ar necessary . (2)Occupation T.L.V is reduced by a factor of 10,25,50 or 100 depending upon the toxicity of substance.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCCUPATIONAL AND COMMUNITY EXPOSURES

(A)Duration

of Exposure (B)Concentration levels (C)Nature of pollutants (D)Control measures

Recommendation for biological TLVs

TOXIC AGENT Metals Arsenic Cadmium Lead As in Urine Cd in Blood Cd in Urine Pb in Blood ALA dehydratase in Blood ALA in Urine 0-59 l/l 0-.5 l/dl 0- 3 l/l 0-20l/dl 1500-500U/l 1-9 mg/l 30l/l 2l/dl 10 l/l 60l/dl --15mg/l 500l/l SOURCE OF DETERMINATION NORMAL VALUES BIOLOGICAL TLV

Coprophorphyrine in 0-100 l/l Urine

TOXIC AGENT Mercury

SOUREC OF DETERMINA-TION Hg in Blood

NORMAL VALUE 0-1l/dl

BIOLOGICAL TLV

3.5l/dl

Selenium Vanadium SOLVENTS Benzene Perchieroeth ylene Styrene Toluene

Hg in Urine Se in Urine V in Urine

0-20l/l ------0-20l/l

100l/l 100l/l 30l/l

Phenols in Urine Perchieroethylene in Blood Mandelic Acid in Urine

1-10mg/l 0 0

40mg/l 70l/dl 2000mg/l 3000mg/l

Hippuric Acid in Urine 500-

T.L.V FOR MIXTURES

FORMULAE APPLY ONLY WHEN THE COMPONENTS IN A MIXTURE HAVE SIMILAR TOXICOLOGICAL EFFECTS : C1 +C2 + C3 + . = 1 T1 T2 T3

C= CONCENTRATION IN AIR T= TLV OF THE SUBSTANCE EXAMPLE : AIR CONTAINS 400 ppm OF ACETONE (TLV =750 ppm ) ,150 ppm OF SEC-BUTYL ACETATE (TLV = 200 ppm ) , AND 100 ppm OF METHYL ETHYL KETONE (TLV= 200ppm )

400 + 750

150 + 100 = 200 200

0.53 +0.75 +0.5 =

1.78

THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES IS EXCEEDED

THANK YOU

Design by S chaudhary