Binding occupational exposure limits for carcinogens in the EU – necessary but not sufficient to reduce risk

Johanson& Tinnerberg (1) discuss the role of binding occupational exposure limit values (BOELV) in the European Union and whether these are “good” or “bad”. They highlight that the main legislative tool used by the European Commission to achieve reductions in health risks from carcinogen exposure at work is the BOELV. In the past, these limits have often been set at levels linked to high risk. For example, the authors cite data for respirable crystalline silica where exposure to 0.1 mg/m3 over a working career of 45-years would result in>1% of those exposed dying from work-related lung cancer, non-malignant respiratory disease, or kidney disease. The editorial speculates on possible reasons why some limits “are outrageously high and breach the fundamental rights of safe and healthy working conditions”; perhaps regulators suspect the scientists are overplaying the risks or maybe they assume employers will not just comply with the law but try to minimize exposures as far below the limit as possible. However—although not considered by the authors—perhaps the most likely reason is that historically levels have been high and suddenly achieving a stringent standard of control is judged impracticable. Breach of a BOELV is a criminal offence and, in my opinion, no legislator should enact laws th at might criminalize a large proportion of those affected. In preparation for the revision of the EU Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (2004/37/EC), my research team and I...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health - Category: Occupational Health Tags: Letter to the editor Source Type: research