Hazardous Chemical Substances Regulations, 1995

Monitoring exposure

52. Regulation 5 (4) of the HCS Regulations imposes a duty on the employer to monitor the exposure of employees to substances hazardous to health.

53.  Details of routine sampling strategies for individual substances are outside the scope of this document. However, advice is available in EH 42, which provides practical guidance on monitoring substances hazardous to health in air.

Biological Exposure Indices

 

Acetone

Determinant	Acetone in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	100 mg/l
Notation	B , C

 

Aniline

Determinant	Total p-aminophenol in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	50 mg/g creatinine
Notation	C
Determinant	Methemoglobin in blood
Sampling Time	During or end of shift
BEI	1.5% of hemoglobin
Notation	B, C , D

 

Arsenic and soluble compounds, including Arsine

Determinant	Inorganic arsenic metabolites in urine
Sampling Time	End of workweek
BEI	50 ug/g creatinine
Notation	B

 

Benzene

Determinant	Total phenol in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	50 mg/g creatinine
Notation	B, C

 

Benzene in exhaled air:

Determinant	Mixed exhaled
Sampling Time	Prior to next shift
BEI	0.08 ppm
Notation	D
Determinant	End exhaled
BEI	0.12 ppm

 

Cadmium

Determinant	Cadmium in urine
Sampling Time	Not critical
BEI	10 ug/g creatinine
Notation	B
Determinant	Cadmium in blood
Sampling Time	Not critical
BEI	10 ug/l
Notation	B

 

Carbon Disulphide

Determinant	2-Thiothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (TTCA) in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	5 mg/g creatinine

 

Carbon Monoxide

Determinant	Carboxyhemoglobin in blood
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	< 8 % of hemoglobin
Notation	B, C
Determinant	CO in end exhaled air
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	< 40 ppm
Notation	B, C

 

Chlorobenzene

Determinant	Total 4-chlorocatechol in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	150 mg/g creatinine
Notation	C
Determinant	Total p-chlorophenol in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	25 mg/g creatinine
Notation	C

 

Chromium (VI)

Determinant	Water soluble fume
Sampling Time	Increase during shift
BEI	10 ug/g creatinine
Notation	B
Determinant	Total chromium in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift at end of workweek
BEI	30 ug/g creatinine
Notation	B

 

N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF)

Determinant	N-Methylformamide in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	40 mg/g creatinine
Notation	B

 

2-Ethoxyethanol (EGEE)

Determinant	2-Ethoxyacetic acid in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift at end of workweek
BEI	100 mg/g creatinine

 

2-Ethoxyethylacetate (EGEEA)

Determinant	2-Ethoxyacetic acid in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift at end of workweek
BEI	100 mg/g creatinine

 

Ethyl Benzene

Determinant	Mandelic acid in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift at end of workweek
BEI	1.5 g/g creatinine
Notation	A
Determinant	Ethyl benzene in end exhaled air
Notation	D

 

Flourides

Determinant	Flourides in urine
Sampling Time	Prior to shift
BEI	3 mg/g creatinine
Notation	B, C
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	10 mg/g creatinine
Notation	B, C

 

Furfural

Determinant	Total furoic acid in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	200 mg/g creatinine
Notation	B, C

 

n-Hexane

Determinant	2,5-Hexanedione in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	5 mg/g creatinine
Notation	C
Determinant	n-Hexane in end-exhaled air
Notation	D

 

Lead

Determinant	Lead in blood
Sampling Time	Not critical
BEI	50 ug/100 ml
Notation	B
Determinant	Lead in urine
Sampling Time	Not critical
BEI	150 ug/g creatinine
Notation	B
Determinant	Zinc protoporphyrin in blood
Sampling Time	After 1 month exposure
BEI	250 ug/100 ml erythrocytes or 100 ug/100ml blood
Notation	B

 

Mercury

Determinant	Total inorganic mercury in urine
Sampling Time	Preshift
BEI	35 ug/g creatinine
Notation	B
Determinant	Total inorganic mercury in blood
Sampling Time	End of shift at end of workweek
BEI	15 ug/l
Notation	B

 

Methanol

Determinant	Methanol in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift
BEI	15 mg/l
Notation	B, C
Determinant	Formic acid in urine
Sampling Time	Prior to last shift of workweek
BEI	80 mg/g creatinine
Notation	B, C

 

Methemoglobin inducers

Determinant	Methemeglobin in blood
Sampling Time	During or end of shift
BEI	1.5% of hemoglobin
Notation	B, C , D

 

Methyl Chloroform

Determinant	Methyl chloroform in end exhaled air
Sampling Time	Prior to last shift of workweek
BEI	40 ppm
Determinant	Trichloroacetic acid in urine
Sampling Time	End of workweek
BEI	10 mg/l
Notation	C , D
Determinant	Total trichloroethanol in urine
Sampling Time	End of shift at end of workweek
BEI	30 mg/l
Notation	C , D
Determinant	Total trichloroethanol in blood
Sampling Time	End of shift at end of workweek
BEI	1 mg/l
Notation	C