Chemical Exposure Publications
Guidance for how you can establish chemical exposure limits
Funded by: Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba, 2010
Author: John Elias
A guidance manual was developed to assist workplaces, with limited resources, to comply with the Manitoba Regulation and to protect the health of all workers.
Download Establishing Occupational Exposure Limits in your Workplace
Visit the Adjusting TLVs website
Medications can complicate chemical exposures
Presented at: The Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists, 2011
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
Chemical exposure limits are designed as guidelines, and not as regulatory (specification) standards. As professionals, occupational hygienists must apply exposure limits to the specific situations in our workplaces. Among other things we must take into account age and health of workers. Related to these people factors is the use of prescribed medication and over-the-counter medication. Medications may contain the same chemicals as those found in the workplace.
Download Effects of Drugs on Chemical Exposures
Shift work can complicate workplace chemical exposures
Presented at: The American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exhibition, 2013
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
The time of day a worker receives a chemical exposure may affect the different health symptoms being exhibited. Shift work is a growing reality and care must be taken with regards to chemical exposures. Learn how this may affect your workplace.
Download Shift Work and Workplace Exposures
Smoking can affect workplace chemical exposures
Presented at: The American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exhibition, 2014
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
The chemicals in cigarette smoke can combine with workplace chemicals to create unexpected results, which may increase the toxicity of the workplace chemicals or create new unexpected toxic metabolites.
Adjustments for unusual work schedules
Presented at: Canadian Society of Safety Engineering – MB Chapter, 2014
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
TLVs are not meant to protect all workers under all working conditions. One of the unusual working conditions where workers may not be protected by the TLVs is an unusual work schedule. Manitoba legislation requires employers to take this into account and make appropriate adjustments to workplace exposure levels. This is a guideline outlining the different methods of adjusting the TLVs in order to protect worker health when working different work schedules.
Download Adjustments for Unusual Work Schedules
We have provided a copy of the ToxicoKinetic OEL Extended Shift Adjust Excel Spreadsheet which has been reproduced with permission of T.W. Armstrong.
Download ToxicoKinetic OEL Extended Shift Adjust
An aging workforce can complicate workplace chemical exposures
Presented at: The 10th IOHA International Conference, London, 2015
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
The workforce is slowly aging and adjustments to occupational exposure limits need to be made in order to handle this new reality. There is evidence that reduced pulmonary function, visual acuity, hearing, rates of metabolism, response to heat, and an increased incidence of chronic illnesses such as heart and kidney diseases, diabetes, and arthritis can alter an older worker’s response to workplace hazards.
Download TLVs and an Aging Workforce
Adjusting TLVs for reproductive and developmental health
Presented at: The American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exhibition, 2015
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
The Industrial hygienists need guidelines for adjusting TLVs® for the pregnant worker in the workplace. Some TLVs® already take into account reproductive effects however many do not. Where no reproductive and developmental toxicity data is given, the following provides some information to assist in assessing occupational exposures during pregnancy.
Download Adjustments for Reproductive Health
Adjusting TLVs for sensitization
Presented at: The Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists, 2015
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
The possibilities of having a sensitized worker in the workplace are significant given that 40-45% of the population can become sensitized. Sensitized workers, such as those with allergies or asthma do not fall into the category of “normal healthy workers” and the TLVs may not protect them. This presentation provides some guidance in the identification and protection of susceptible workers.
Download Adjustments for Sensitization
Adjusting TLVs for health
Presented at: The American Industrial Hygiene Association Conference and Exhibition, 2017
Authors: John Elias & Alison Reineke
The usual practice for the occupational hygienist is to investigate how conditions in the workplace affect worker’s health. Equally important is the investigation of how worker’s health can influence the individual’s reaction to environmental stresses. Exposure limits are set for “normal” healthy workers. Since the health of workers can have an effect on how they react to exposure to workplace chemicals, health status must be considered when assessing workplace risks.
Download Adjustments for Health
Anoesis – The Problem with Occupational Disease
Presented at: The American Industrial Hygiene Association Conference and Exhibition, 2020
Authors: John Elias
The headline reads “Workplace Safety and Health Deaths and Injuries Reach a New Low”. What’s not to like? The program works. Unfortunately, the data the program is based on uses occupational disease rates. This underestimates diseases in the workplace by one to two orders of magnitude. Newer methods such as attributable fractions and self-reporting provide a different data set to evaluate illness, disease, and our success in reducing them. This data set is work-related disease, any disease where work-related aspects increase the risk of disease together with other factors.
Download Anoesis The Problem with Occupational Disease Poster
Download Anoesis The Problem with Occupational Disease References
Health & Safety Links
- Adjusting TLVs
- Safe Work Manitoba
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
- American Industrial Hygiene Association – Manitoba Local Section
- American Industrial Hygiene Association – National
- American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)