Kopstein Melvyn
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2006 Jan;3(1):1-8. doi: 10.1080/15459620500430581.
According to 29 CFR1910.1200 (Hazard Communication Standard [HCS]), a material safety data sheet (MSDS) must list a carcinogen as an ingredient if its concentration in a product is 0.1% or more by weight. However, according to the HCS, when the concentration of a carcinogen in a product is less than 0.1% (by weight) it may not be necessary to list it as an ingredient on the MSDS. The standard stipulates that if potential uses of the product can result in exposures to the carcinogen that exceed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit or the ACGIH threshold limit value (TLV), then it must be listed. This article focuses on the failure of MSDSs to report benzene as a listed ingredient in products that incorporate petroleum-derived ingredients such as toluene and hexane. In the United States, approximately 238,000 people are occupationally exposed to benzene each year. Only rarely is benzene listed as an ingredient on MSDSs even though it often comprises more than 0.1% of petroleum solvents and, when its concentrations in petroleum-derived products are much less than 0.1%, inhalation exposures to benzene can be much higher that its OSHA PEL of one part per million (ppm) by volume (v/v) andACGIH TLV of/one-half ppm (v/v). As a consequence of benzene's omission from MSDSs as a listed ingredient, employers are frequently unaware of their requirement to implement 29 CFR 1910.1028 (Benzene Standard) and of the need to address employee exposures to benzene in the workplace. This article demonstrates that benzene should be listed as an ingredient on MSDSs, even at concentrations in benzene-containing products that are between one and two orders of magnitude below OSHA's 0.1% threshold. An exposure assessment methodology is presented that is applicable to employees whose conditions of exposure are similar to those in the published study. These workers make up a similar exposure group. The information and methodology presented here are germane to preparation of accurate MSDSs for benzene-containing products, employers who must comply with 29 CFR 1910.1028, and retrospectively estimating exposures to benzene.
根据美国联邦法规29 CFR1910.1200（《危害告知标准》[HCS]），如果某种致癌物在产品中的重量浓度达到或超过0.1%，则材料安全数据表（MSDS）必须将其列为成分之一。然而，根据HCS，如果产品中致癌物的浓度低于0.1%（按重量计），则可能无需在MSDS中将其列为成分。该标准规定，如果产品的潜在用途可能导致致癌物暴露量超过职业安全与健康管理局（OSHA）的允许暴露限值或美国政府工业卫生学家会议（ACGIH）阈限值（TLV），则必须将其列出。本文重点关注在含有甲苯和己烷等石油衍生成分的产品中，MSDS未能将苯列为成分之一的情况。在美国，每年约有23.8万人职业性接触苯。尽管苯在石油溶剂中的含量通常超过0.1%，而且当它在石油衍生产品中的浓度远低于0.1%时，吸入苯的暴露量可能会大大高于其OSHA体积百万分之一（ppm）（v/v）的允许暴露限值以及ACGIH二分之一ppm（v/v）的阈限值，但在MSDS中苯很少被列为成分之一。由于MSDS未将苯列为成分之一，雇主们常常不知道他们有实施29 CFR 1910.1028（《苯标准》）的要求，也不知道需要解决员工在工作场所接触苯的问题。本文表明，即使含苯产品中苯的浓度比OSHA的0.1%阈值低一到两个数量级，也应在MSDS中将苯列为成分之一。本文还介绍了一种暴露评估方法，适用于暴露条件与已发表研究中相似的员工。这些工人构成了一个相似的暴露群体。这里提供的信息和方法与为含苯产品编制准确的MSDS、必须遵守29 CFR 1910.1028的雇主以及追溯评估苯暴露量相关。
