Biomaterial Database

Species-specific inhalable exposures in the nickel industry: a new approach for deriving inhalation occupational exposure limits. 2007

Donna J Sivulka, and Bruce R Conard, and Gordon W Hall, and James H Vincent

DJS Consulting, 3942 Rives Chapel Rd., Siler City, NC 27344, USA. sivulka@centernet.net <sivulka@centernet.net>

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and some regulatory authorities have revised their exposure limits for nickel and nickel compounds in workplaces based upon new sampling standards for inhalable nickel exposures. Others may be in the process of doing so. Safe standards for workplace exposures should utilize the most up-to-date health data on individual nickel species and should incorporate the principles of new sampling conventions that have been developed over the recent decades. The purpose of this paper is to review the basis for setting inhalable occupational exposure standards for the principal inorganic nickel species. It is hoped that this paper will (1) prompt companies in various nickel industry sectors to begin collecting the necessary inhalable aerosol measurements, speciation data, and particle-size information required to implement health-based sampling programs in the future, and (2) encourage regulators to derive species-specific, inhalable-based workplace standards for nickel and its inorganic compounds.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009532	Nickel	A trace element with the atomic symbol Ni, atomic number 28, and atomic weight 58.69. It is a cofactor of the enzyme UREASE.
D010316	Particle Size	Relating to the size of solids.	Particle Sizes,Size, Particle,Sizes, Particle
D012015	Reference Standards	A basis of value established for the measure of quantity, weight, extent or quality, e.g. weight standards, standard solutions, methods, techniques, and procedures used in diagnosis and therapy.	Standard Preparations,Standards, Reference,Preparations, Standard,Standardization,Standards,Preparation, Standard,Reference Standard,Standard Preparation,Standard, Reference
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000336	Aerosols	Colloids with a gaseous dispersing phase and either liquid (fog) or solid (smoke) dispersed phase; used in fumigation or in inhalation therapy; may contain propellant agents.	Aerosol
D000395	Air Pollutants, Occupational	Toxic air-borne matter related to work performed They are usually produced by the specific nature of the occupation.	Occupational Air Pollutants,Pollutants, Occupational Air
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
D017408	Guidelines as Topic	Works about a systematic statement of policy rules or principles. Guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by convening expert panels. For guidelines in the field of health care and clinical medicine, PRACTICE GUIDELINES AS TOPIC is available.	Guidelines as Topics
D019570	Inhalation Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents by inhaling them.	Exposure, Inhalation,Exposures, Inhalation,Inhalation Exposures