Biomaterial Database

[Japanese administrative control level of respirable dust and determination of crystalline silica in dust]. 2006

Jun Ojima

National Institute of Industrial Health, Tama-ku, Kawasaki 214-8585, Japan.

In Japan, there are two commonly used regulations on respirable dust concentration: the Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL), recommended by the Japan Society for Occupational Health, and the Administrative Control Level (ACL). Both depend on the crystalline silica content in dust. Until 2004, the ACL for respirable dust conformed to the OEL. However, the ACL was revised in 2005 in light of the OEL and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)'s Threshold Limit Value (TLV), same value as National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)'s Recommended Exposure Limit (REL). In this paper, the author intends to clarify the stringency of the current ACL by comparing it with the OEL and the ACGIH's TLV. In addition, the effect of the analytical error due to the phosphoric acid method in the current and former ACLs is shown.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008452	Maximum Allowable Concentration	The maximum exposure to a biologically active physical or chemical agent that is allowed during an 8-hour period (a workday) in a population of workers, or during a 24-hour period in the general population, which does not appear to cause appreciable harm, whether immediate or delayed for any period, in the target population. (From Lewis Dictionary of Toxicology, 1st ed)	Maximum Permissible Exposure Level,MPEL,Maximum Permissible Exposure Concentration,Allowable Concentration, Maximum,Allowable Concentrations, Maximum,Concentration, Maximum Allowable,Concentrations, Maximum Allowable,MPELs,Maximum Allowable Concentrations
D004391	Dust	Earth or other matter in fine, dry particles. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	House Dust,Housedust,Dust, House
D012822	Silicon Dioxide	Transparent, tasteless crystals found in nature as agate, amethyst, chalcedony, cristobalite, flint, sand, QUARTZ, and tridymite. The compound is insoluble in water or acids except hydrofluoric acid.	Silica,Aerosil,Aerosil 380,Cristobalite,Quso G-32,Quso G32,Tridymite,380, Aerosil,Dioxide, Silicon,G32, Quso,Quso G 32
D016272	Occupational Health	The promotion and maintenance of physical and mental health in the work environment.	Employee Health,Industrial Health,Industrial Hygiene,Occupational Safety,Health, Industrial,Hygiene, Industrial,Safety, Occupational,Health, Employee,Health, Occupational
D016273	Occupational Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents that occurs as a result of one's occupation.	Exposure, Occupational,Exposures, Occupational,Occupational Exposures
D019570	Inhalation Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents by inhaling them.	Exposure, Inhalation,Exposures, Inhalation,Inhalation Exposures