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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
today announced it will hold a public meeting Feb. 22 in Washington on updating
its permissible exposure limits (PELs) for hazardous chemicals.
"The present OSHA PELs in the air contaminants standard
were established in 1971 when the agency was created and are based on research
conducted primarily in the 1950's and early 1960's," said Assistant Secretary
of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear. "In most cases
those early exposure limits are outdated and do not adequately protect
workers."
OSHA revised 376 PELs for general industry in 1989 to
provide additional health protection for more than 21 million employees. But in
1992, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that OSHA did not sufficiently
demonstrate the necessity or feasibility of the new PELs. The court's decision
to vacate the new limits forced OSHA to return to the original 1971 limits. Now
OSHA wants to start a systematic new process of updating existing PELs and
adding new ones.
OSHA intends to publish a proposal to update PELs for
about 20 substances in the late spring. These substances currently are slated
for the air contaminants rulemaking (although some may be dropped or others
added later):
Carbon disulfide n-Hexane Nitrogen dioxide
Carbon monoxide 2-Hexanone Perchloroethylene
Chloroform Hydrazine Sulfur Dioxide
Dimethyl sulfate Hydrogen sulfide Toluene
Epichlorohydrin Manganese Toluene diisocyanate
Ethylene dichloride & compounds Trimellitic anhydride
Glutaraldehyde Mercury Vinyl bromide
& compounds
The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday,
Feb. 22 in the Frances Perkins Building (Department of Labor)
Auditorium, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210. The
nearest Metro station is Judiciary Square Station on the Red
Line.
The first part of the meeting will include background
information on OSHA's past efforts and current strategy for
updating PELs, followed by a general discussion of OSHA's method
for identifying substances for inclusion in the current phase of
rulemaking.
The second part of the meeting will cover significance of
risk, risk assessment methodology as applied to both carcinogenic
(cancer-causing) and noncarcinogenic effects of substances, and
feasibility analysis methodology.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss general issues
germane to the current air contaminants rulemaking. OSHA does
not intend to discuss health effects information and other issues
relevant only to specific substances at this particular meeting.
The regulatory process will provide ample opportunity for
interested parties to submit oral and written comments on
specific substances.
The meeting is open to the public. The auditorium
accommodates about 240 persons. Pre-registration is requested for
all participants and required for those planning on making a
brief presentation. To register, information must be sent by
mail or fax to Julia Pesak at:
U. S. Department of Labor/OSHA, Rm. N 3718
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20210
Or, to register by E-mail, send the same information to Lyn
Penniman at:
lyn@osh3.osha.gov
Information required for registration is:
Name of participant
Organization represented by participant
Topic(s) participant desires to address
Approximate time requested for each topic, maximum of
15 minutes total for each participant.
The registration must be received by Monday, Feb. 12.
A previous meeting discussing the topic of PELs was held
with stakeholders in July, 1995.
Notice of the meeting is published in the Wednesday, Jan. 24
Federal Register.
The text of this news release is available from the Department of
Labor electronic bulletin board, LABOR NEWS, at 202-219-4784.
Callers must pay any toll-call charges. 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 or
14,400 BAUD; Parity: None; Data Bits = 8; Stop Bit = 1; Voice
phone: 202-219-8831.
The text also is on the Internet World Wide Web at
http://www.osha.gov/.
OSHA news releases, fact sheets, and other short documents also
are available by "OSHA Fax" for a nominal charge of $1.50 per
minute. Callers should dial (900) 555-3400 to access this
service.
Information on this news release will be made available to
sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-219-8151.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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