McKee Richard H, Medeiros Arlean M, Daughtrey Wayne C
Division of Toxicology and Environmental Sciences, ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc., Annandale, New Jersey 08801, USA.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2005 Oct;2(10):524-42. doi: 10.1080/15459620500299754.
Occupational exposure limit (OEL) development for hydrocarbon solvents is complicated because most of these solvents have complex compositions and only a few representative constituents have been studied in detail. A proposed solution to this problem is to group constituents with similar physical, chemical, and toxicological properties and to assign "guidance values" to each group. A unique OEL can then be calculated for each solvent, using a reciprocal calculation procedure (RCP) based on the liquid composition. This procedure follows the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) generic advice for complex mixtures and is recommended by the U.K. Health and Safety Executive for OEL calculations by hydrocarbon solvent manufacturers. The RCP is justified, as the toxicological properties of the constituents are additive and the differences between the vapor and liquid compositions do not substantially affect the calculated exposure limits. The guidance values are based principally on acute central nervous system depression and eye and respiratory tract irritation, effects that are the most sensitive indicators of hydrocarbon solvent exposure. One benefit of this procedure is that it is a relatively simple but practical procedure that requires limited compositional information. Further, it provides OEL recommendations that are consistent with occupational experience and current regulatory advice. Groupings and guidance values are proposed, and sample calculations are provided.
烃类溶剂职业接触限值（OEL）的制定很复杂，因为这些溶剂大多成分复杂，只有少数代表性成分得到了详细研究。针对这一问题，一种提议的解决方案是将具有相似物理、化学和毒理学特性的成分归为一组，并为每组指定“指导值”。然后，可以根据液体成分，使用倒数计算程序（RCP）为每种溶剂计算出独特的OEL。该程序遵循美国政府工业卫生学家会议（ACGIH）对复杂混合物的一般建议，英国健康与安全执行局也推荐烃类溶剂制造商在计算OEL时使用该程序。RCP是合理的，因为成分的毒理学特性具有加和性，且气相和液相成分之间的差异对计算出的接触限值影响不大。指导值主要基于急性中枢神经系统抑制以及眼睛和呼吸道刺激，这些影响是烃类溶剂接触最敏感的指标。该程序的一个优点是，它相对简单但实用，所需的成分信息有限。此外，它提供的OEL建议与职业经验和当前监管建议一致。文中提出了分组和指导值，并给出了示例计算。
