10 12 26 32

ETHICS SPECIAL SECTION FEATURE FEATURE

Communication AIHce EXP 2020 Heat Stress Assessment Chemical Protective
of Risk Preview and Prevention Clothing 101

April 2020

Protecting
Worker Health
Biohacking and
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AIHA | Protecting Worker Health. www.aiha.org

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THIS SUMMER,
LEARN HOW WE’RE
MAKING THE WORLD
HEALTHIER

Big things are happening at AIHA. As we work to build a world where

all workers are healthy and safe, you might notice a few changes
about us. It’s all with you in mind. Soon you will see how we are
working harder than ever before to advance the occupational health
and safety profession.

aiha.org
 APRIL 2020

FEATURES

22
PROTECTING MODIFIED WORKER HEALTH
BIOHACKING AND THE WORKPLACE
Advancing technology presents new industrial processes
and agents to understand, new controls and materials to
characterize, and new topics to master. The same approach
applies to adapting evaluation techniques to protect work-
ers who may be unusually vulnerable to certain risks, or
who have been modified in a variety of emerging ways.
BY SPENCER PIZZANI

26
IT’S THE HEAT—AND THE HUMIDITY
CRITICAL FACTORS FOR HEAT STRESS ASSESSMENT AND PREVENTION
Heat-related illnesses are insidious conditions that can
affect almost anyone with little warning, especially since
symptoms may affect one’s ability to recognize the danger.
All that is needed for the onset of heat stress is for the
energy and blood demanded by the muscles to compete
with the body’s cooling mechanisms.
BY ROBERT N. PHALEN AND CATHERINE L. BESMAR

32
CHEMICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING 101
A PRIMER ON PERMEATION, PENETRATION, AND DEGRADATION
IHs know the importance of chemical protective cloth-
ing, but not always the extent to which CPC materials
can resist any of the numerous chemicals present in the
workplace, particularly those new to the market. In these
circumstances, IHs continually face the problem of how to
select appropriate CPC while lacking data on the materials’
chemical resistance.
BY NORMAN W. HENRY III, CURTIS HINTZ, AND ROBERT N. PHALEN

SPENCER PIZZANI, FEATURE AUTHOR
Spencer Pizzani, CIH, is the industrial hygiene program manager
for Pepsico Beverages North America.
CONTRIBUTORS
ROBERT N. PHALEN, FEATURE AUTHOR NORMAN W. HENRY III, FEATURE AUTHOR
Robert N. Phalen, PhD, CIH, FAIHA, is an associate professor of Norman W. Henry III, MS, CIH, FAIHA, is a consultant for Safety and
Occupational Safety and Health at University of Houston-Clear Health by Protection (SHBP).
Lake in Houston, Texas.

| April 2020 4
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 APRIL 2020

Volume 31 Number 4

EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ed Rutkowski: erutkowski@aiha.org

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS MANAGING EDITOR

Kay Bechtold: kbechtold@aiha.org

8 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 16 NEWSWATCH EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Abby Roberts: aroberts@aiha.org
What’s Happening in Our Industry OEHS and Industry News
BY KATHLEEN S. MURPHY DESIGNER
20 ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Janelle Welch, 2 Hounds Media
10 ETHICS
Ethics and Communication of Risk 35 PRODUCT FEATURES PRODUCTION MANAGER
Jim Myers: jmyers@aiha.org
BY ALAN LEIBOWITZ
36 COMMUNITY ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
12 SPECIAL SECTION AIHA News MCI | USA
AIHce EXP 2020 Preview Holly Klarman: holly.klarman@mci-group.com
38 BY THE NUMBERS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Blood Lead Levels in Kentucky
Lawrence D. Sloan, CAE: lsloan@aiha.org
Workers

The Synergist® is a copyrighted publication of the American Industrial

Hygiene Association, 3141 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 777, Falls Church,
VA 22042; (703) 849-8888; e-mail synergist@aiha.org. No part of The
Synergist may be reprinted without the express written consent of AIHA.
Submission of articles or letters to the editor are welcome, but AIHA
and The Synergist will determine what to publish and reserve the right to
edit all submissions for content, style, length and clarity.

The Synergist (USPS #009-332) is published monthly except a combined

June/July issue by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, 3141
Fairview Park Drive, Suite 777, Falls Church, VA 22042 for $50 per year
for members; nonmembers may subscribe for $315/yr. International
nonmembers may subscribe for $415/yr (U.S. funds). Periodicals
postage paid at Merrifield, Virginia, and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Synergist, American
Ü IN THE DIGITAL EDITION Ü ON AIHA.ORG Industrial Hygiene Association, Attn: Customer Service, 3141 Fairview
See digital content at Latest news: Park Drive, Suite 777, Falls Church, VA 22042. ISSN 10667660.
SYNERGIST.AIHA.ORG WWW.AIHA.ORG/NEWS
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40039445. Return undeliverable
Canadian addresses to PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond
Hill ON L4B 4R6.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

COMING IN MAY:
Jeff Behar, California Institute of Technology
Electrical Safety in Hazardous Environments | Anteroom Design in Healthcare Facilities | Duct Cleaning and IAQ Patricia Crawford, Consultant
M. Cathy Fehrenbacher, U.S. EPA
Don Garvey, 3M Co.
The Synergist’s mission is to provide AIHA members with news and information about
Stephen Hemperly, Hitachi GST
the occupational and environmental health and safety fields and the industrial hygiene Hank Muranko, Muranko & Associates
profession. The Synergist focuses on industry trends and news, government and regulatory Derek Popp, Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory
activities, key issues facing the profession, appropriate technical information and news on Doris Reid, Goodrich Corporation
association events and activities. John Rekus, John F. Rekus & Associates Ltd.
The Synergist’s objective is to present information that is newsworthy and of general
interest in industrial hygiene. Opinions, claims, conclusions, and positions expressed in this
publication are the authors’ or persons’ quoted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions
of the editors, AIHA, or The Synergist.

| April 2020 6
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 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
KATHLEEN S. MURPHY, CIH,
is AIHA president and director of Global
What’s Happening
Regulatory Affairs at Sherwin Williams in
Cleveland, Ohio. She can be reached at
kathleen.murphy@sherwin.com.
in Our Industry
BY KATHLEEN S. MURPHY, AIHA PRESIDENT
Send feedback to synergist@aiha.org.
S
ince AIHA’s founding in
1939, dramatic chang-
es have occurred to
transform the science
and application of
occupational health
and safety. With that in mind, 2020 is
the ideal time to look at some of the
ways our industrial hygiene industry,
and even its name, has metamorphized
in recent years.
In the 80th
AN EVOLVING PROFESSION
year of AIHA, For some time now, the industrial
we are more hygiene profession has expanded into
dedicated than areas unimagined by the progenitors
of our profession. The term “indus-
ever to advancing
trial hygiene” quite frankly no longer
the profession. reflects everything we do. Coupled
with this, we are now seeing more
safety professionals, EHS generalists,
and “technician-level” practitioners
assume core responsibilities formerly
managed by the traditional IH. There
are many reasons for this, due in no
small part to corporations cutting bud-
gets and eliminating in-house IH staff.
In addition, increasingly we are seeing
formerly named “industrial hygiene”
programs shifting to “occupational
health” (or other derivations, such
as “occupational health and safety”
and “environmental and occupational
health”) in both undergraduate and
| April 2020
graduate courses of study.
The term “occupational health and
safety” is a more inclusive term that
can act as an umbrella for all those
practicing traditional IH and its adja-
cent fields. As more audiences rec-
ognize, and, better yet, understand
the imperative of industrial hygiene,
using a term that is more widely—and
more easily—understood can only be
a boon for us.
Let me be clear: OHS is intended to
be an outward-facing term. If you want
to call yourself an industrial hygienist,
you absolutely should.
Personally, I feel that it’s time that
IHs get proper credit for all the work
we do. Again, evolving to the term OHS
will help people understand the role
we play as scientists and profession-
als, and grant us the credit we’ve long
deserved. This in turn will stimulate
demand for OHS scientists in the years
to come.
LOOKING FORWARD
Our 80th anniversary has encour-
aged me to reflect on both the past
and future of AIHA. We’ve moved
from an association solely dedicated
to IHs to one that is more inclusive,
modern, and forward-looking. I am
more mindful than ever of the need to
recruit students (as well as mid-career
professionals who may be disenfran-
8
chised by their current career path)
into our ranks.
A pivot in how we refer to ourselves
to external audiences is intended to
align ourselves with ongoing trends
in the marketplace, not to “strip away”
the IH name and distinction we’ve
worked so hard to earn and maintain.
In the end, an IH is an IH, but “OHS” is
meant to help articulate our purpose
and role in society, especially to STEM-
minded students, corporations, and so
many others who may not be familiar
with the value of this profession.
Over the past three-plus years, we
have been undertaking strategic ini-
tiatives to address this evolution of
the profession and to succinctly cap-
ture what our members do to advance
health and safety in workplaces. In
the coming months you’ll be hearing
a lot more about the market research
and messaging we’ve been conducting
and vetting with many concerned AIHA
volunteers.
OUR VISION
In the 80th year of AIHA, we are more
dedicated than ever to advancing the
profession. And we are working to
make sure that the pipeline of people
joining the IH/OHS profession is full
and poised to help us achieve the
association’s vision: a world where
all workers are healthy and safe.
 OPERATE IN THE

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Ethics and Communication
ALAN LEIBOWITZ, CIH, CSP, FAIHA, is the
president of EHS Systems Solutions LLC,
chair of the Joint Industrial Hygiene Ethics
of Risk
Education Committee, current ABIH vice
chair, and a past Board member of AIHA. BY ALAN LEIBOWITZ
Send feedback to synergist@aiha.org.
T
Editor’s note: The case studies in this article
are fictitious and are intended to highlight his month, we pres-
ethical issues in the practice of industrial ent two scenarios
hygiene. Any resemblance to real people or to test your ethics
organizations is coincidental. Please send IQ. Both scenarios
your responses to synergist@aiha.org. place industrial
Responses may be printed in a future issue hygienists in a
as space permits. position of having to decide whether
and to what extent they are responsible
for communicating risk in the given
circumstances.
SCENARIO 1: CLEAR COMMUNICATION
Aaliyah is a CIH and has been working
as the sole EHS practitioner at Bay
Fasteners for the past eight years.
While she enjoys the company and
her work, competition from imports
has led to recent layoffs, and everyone
While he has is a bit on edge.
Management recently decided to
collected enough
expand their marketing efforts into
samples to be con- Europe, focusing on their standard
fident that no haz- aircraft panel assemblies. In the U.S.,
ardous exposures each of those assemblies is shipped
with a touchup kit that contains small
exist under the
quantities of various paints and coat-
conditions at the ings to perform cosmetic repair of
time of his visit, he various external parts that are prone
is concerned that to damage in shipping. While most of
the equipment produced by Bay Fas-
if any reduction in
teners would be considered articles,
ventilation takes additional attention must be paid to
place, overexpo- liquids or other materials not part of
sure is likely to the finished products. Most regulations
focus on exposure potential. Materials
occur.
like the paints and their associated
solvents pose the greatest potential
for release. This potential is what is
generally covered by regulation.
Aaliyah’s responsibilities include a
combination of product stewardship
| April 2020
ETHICS
and industrial hygiene assessment of
product safety data sheets (SDSs). She
and the product development team
have a long history of compliance
assessment for their U.S. customers.
They have eliminated all ingredients
that would require strict control under
U.S. regulation.
While Aaliyah has never worked in
the EU, she is aware that there are
different requirements under REACH
and other regulations. While her initial
casual review does not identify any
specific concerns, she recommends to
her boss, the head of security, that they
retain a consultant to do a complete
review of ingredients before shipping
products overseas. While he compli-
ments her on the presentation, he
declines to retain outside assistance,
expressing that they have full confi-
dence in her review and that given their
compliance with U.S. regulations there
is little to be concerned about.
Even though she appreciates the
vote of confidence, Aaliyah knows
that she does not have the expertise
required to make the assessment. She
is also aware that under EU regulatory
policies any violation could result in
shipments being delayed or stopped
if proper analysis has not been con-
ducted. She is reluctant to speak up
because of the employment risk she
feels due to the recent layoffs, feeling
that if she communicates the lim-
itations of her technical skillset, she
might be thought unfit for her job.
For discussion: What should Aaliyah
do? How should she evaluate the risk
in this situation? How should she pro-
10
tect herself from future consequences
related to this decision? What is her
responsibility to inform her employer
of her professional limitations?
Should Aaliyah allow her boss to
have the final word on this decision?
Consider possible obligations to the
organization and potential users of the
product in the EU Is the risk of the ship-
ment not passing EU standards low
enough that she is willing to gamble
on not retaining a consultant?
What ethical issues should Aaliyah
consider as she does her analysis?
What is Aaliyah’s primary ethical
responsibility?
SCENARIO 2: EXPOSURE SAMPLING
Linus has had a long and success-
ful career as a consulting industrial
hygienist in his own firm, Protektus
LLC. A new client has asked him to
sample exposures to intermediaries
formed during a process that uses
isocyanates. They have made some
recent changes in the suppliers of
the feedstocks and have been getting
some complaints of sore throats and
coughing from the line workers.
When Linus arrives at the plant,
he and the plant HR director let the
workers know that he is there to con-
duct area and personal air sampling
to investigate their concerns. When
he approaches a group of employ-
ees to attach sampling devices, they
inform him that this is the first day in
a week that the ventilation has been
on at full speed and that the working
environment seems much less irri-
tating. Linus asks his plant contacts
 ETHICS

if the ventilation has been recently

repaired and they inform him that
on very warm days the exhaust sys-
tems are turned down to save on air
conditioning costs.
When Linus receives the labora-
tory analysis of his samples, none of
them exceed regulatory or recom-
mended limits, but some are quite
close. While he has collected enough
samples to be confident that no haz-
ardous exposures exist under the
conditions at the time of his visit, he
is concerned that if any reduction in
ventilation takes place, overexposure
is likely to occur.
Linus prepares a draft report
including his concern regarding expo-
sure risk at lower ventilation rates.
His client asks him to remove that
element of the report, reminding him
that they had retained him to provide
information only regarding conditions
at the time of his visit. To complicate
matters, one of the workers he sam-
pled calls him at his office a few weeks
later and asks for a copy of the results. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
For discussion: What should The new BGC Code of Ethics (PDF, bit.ly/bgcethicsupd) becomes effective for CIHs on July 1, 2020. Most of the new code mirrors the
Linus do? What are his obligations to existing ABIH version. One new clause is explored in this month’s case studies. It requires practitioners to communicate all potential
his client and their employees, par- consequences, as far as they are aware, which could occur if their advice is disregarded. This is most often done by citing applicable
ticularly where their interests do not
regulations or requirements when recommendations are made. This requirement is based only on information available at the time reports or
other communications are prepared. There is no requirement to track changes made as a result of initial communications unless that is an
align? Does Linus have an obligation
ongoing part of the certificant's assigned responsibilities.
to go beyond what he had provided
in his draft report? Could Linus have
Consider the following excerpt from the BGC ethical principles when discussing the scenarios presented in this article:
anticipated this issue and taken steps II. Responsibilities to clients, employers, employees, and the public.
at the contracting stage to avoid the A. Education, experience, competency, and performance of professional services. A certificant/candidate must:
potential ethical conundrum? 2. Recognize the limitations of one’s professional ability and provide services only when qualified. The certificant/candidate is
What ethical issues should Linus responsible for determining the limits of his/her own professional abilities based on education, knowledge, skills, practical
consider as he does his analysis? experience, and other relevant considerations.
What is Linus’ primary ethical 8. Communicate clearly, to clients or employers, the potential consequences if professional decisions or judgments are overruled or
responsibility? disregarded.

11 www.aiha.org |
SPECIAL
SECTION

AIHA in the ATL

Atlanta to Host AIHce EXP 2020

T
his summer, Atlanta will host the world’s largest gathering of industrial
hygienists and occupational health and safety professionals. AIHce EXP
2020 will take place June 1–3 at the Atlanta Convention Center. On
these pages, The Synergist highlights a few of the 210 scheduled technical ses-
sions. To see a full list of sessions, to register, or for more information, visit the
conference website at www.aihceexp.org.

OPENING GENERAL SESSION: LEADERSHIP UNDER PRESSURE
Monday, June 1, 8:00–9:30 a.m.
ASK THE EXPERT WITH SUDIP BOSE
Monday, June 1, 10:00–11:00 a.m.
Time and again, Dr. Sudip Bose has proven that he thrives
amid chaos. Dr. Bose is a former Army major and Iraq
War veteran who served one of the longest combat tours
by a physician since World War II, a distinction that
earned him the Bronze Star. Best known as the U.S. physi-
cian who treated Saddam Hussein following his capture in
December 2003, Dr. Bose’s wartime experiences include
providing medical care in the streets during the Second
Battle of Fallujah. Following his return to the U.S., Dr.
Bose implemented an emergency training program for
the ER team at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas.
During the mass shooting in Odessa in 2019, Dr. Bose
was called in to treat 13 gunshot victims. “What I found in
my personal experience is you want to take much of the
thought process out in a high-pressure situation to keep
your calm,” Dr. Bose told Time magazine. “You want to
automate.” Following his keynote address, Dr. Bose will
answer questions from AIHce EXP attendees during an
“ask the expert” session.
RISKS TO OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AT 5G SPEEDS
Monday, June 1, 10:00–11:00 a.m.
Fifth-generation wireless communication, known simply
as 5G, promises clearer—and much faster—transmission
of data. 5G is expected to help fulfill the promise of the
“Internet of Things,” the name given to the developing net-
work of connected machines. While 5G is already available
in many cities in the U.S., Australia, and a few other coun-
tries, the rollout of 5G hardware is expected to take a few
years. In the meantime, little is known about the exposure
levels and potential health effects of 5G radio frequen-
cies. This session presents the results of monitoring radio
frequency energy from 5G equipment relevant to occupa-
tional exposures.
COMMUNITY AND WORKPLACE EXPOSURES TO TOXIC GASES—
CURRENT RESEARCH
Monday, June 1, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
In July 2018, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Dis-
ease Registry concluded that emissions of ethylene oxide
from a medical sterilization company in suburban Chicago
presented an elevated cancer risk for residents of Willow-
brook, Illinois. In this session, a representative from an

| April 2020 12
independent task force formed to investigate potential
health risks to the Willowbrook community will describe
the issues evaluated by the task force and explain their
methodology. Other presentations will address carbon
dioxide emissions in elementary schools and a craft
brewery.
IMPLICATIONS OF REAL-WORLD USAGE CONDITIONS OF ELECTRONIC
CIGARETTE EMISSIONS
Monday, June 1, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
RISKS, REWARDS, REGULATORY CHALLENGES, AND RECENT EVENTS
WITH ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES
Tuesday, June 2, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Use of e-cigarettes among young people continues to rise,
with a 78 percent increase among high school students
from 2017 to 2018, according to a CDC report. At AIHce
EXP 2020, presenters from the University of Oklahoma
will discuss findings that suggest current laboratory meth-
ods significantly underestimate the amount of nicotine
delivered by normal usage of third-generation electronic
cigarettes. The next day, the Oklahoma team returns to
summarize the evolution of e-cigarettes and provide con-
text to findings from the scientific literature.
RELATED: “Electronic Cigarettes and the IH” in the
May 2019 Synergist reports on updates to AIHA’s white
paper on e-cigarettes at bit.ly/ecigih.
NIOSH RISK ASSESSMENT PRACTICES
Tuesday, June 2, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
In February, NIOSH released Current Intelligence Bulletin
69: NIOSH Practices in Occupational Risk Assessment.
CIB 69 describes the process NIOSH uses to determine the
hazard associated with a chemical or other agent, collate
relevant scientific evidence, evaluate data, and determine
how much exposure would be harmful to workers. At
AIHce EXP 2020, a presenter from NIOSH will discuss the
models and assumptions that underpin the NIOSH risk
assessment process.
CURRENT AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS OF SENSORS FOR CHEMICAL
DETECTION
Tuesday, June 2, 3:15–4:15 p.m.
Sensors hold tremendous promise for industrial hygiene,
but more development is necessary before they can
meet the needs of exposure assessments that rely on
Chris LaBasco/Getty Images
time-weighted average exposure data. The missing link,
according to the presenters of this session, is the ability to
provide information regarding exposure variability within
a work shift. Only then will sensors be able to confirm or
refute the adequacy of controls.
RELATED: “Predictive Purposes” in the March 2018
Synergist explores the possibilities and potential problems
of connected workplaces (bit.ly/syn1803f1).
LESSONS LEARNED ON EXPOSURE RISK MANAGEMENT IN
AFGHANISTAN
Tuesday, June 2, 3:15–4:15 p.m.
In February, the U.S. and the Taliban agreed to a timeta-
ble for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan,
potentially bringing the 18-year conflict, America’s longest
war, to an end. The presenters for this session, an occu-
pational medicine physician and an EHS professional
who served in Afghanistan, will share lessons from the
front line on topics that include the disposal of ordnance,
decontamination of bloodborne pathogens, detection of
heavy metals and lead, injury prevention, and hand safety.
RELATED: The cover article of the February 2020
Synergist (bit.ly/syn2002f1) discusses considerations
for preventing exposures to bloodborne pathogens and
potentially infectious materials outside of healthcare
settings.
THE FUTURE OF OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE BANDING, PART 1
Tuesday, June 2, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
ROAD MAP AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF OCCUPATIONAL
EXPOSURE BANDING, PART 2
Tuesday, June 2, 3:15–4:15 p.m.
NEAR-TERM IMPLICATIONS OF OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE BANDING,
PART 3
Tuesday, June 2, 4:30–5:30 p.m.
This series of sessions is a comprehensive examination of
AIHce EXP 2020 will be held at the Atlanta Convention
Center, June 1–3. Visit www.aihceexp.org to register or for
more information.
13 www.aiha.org |
occupational exposure banding, the process of categorizing
chemicals based on their toxicological potency to rapidly
evaluate health risk. Part 1 focuses on the CB Nanotool
developed to support researchers at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory. In Part 2, presenters will demon-
strate how the occupational exposure banding process
complements qualitative exposure assessment and dis-
cuss the potential inclusion of occupational exposure
bands in Big Data. And Part 3 examines the potential
use of banding to address the International Agency for
Research on Cancer’s recent reclassification of welding
fumes as carcinogenic.
RELATED: Several articles on the NIOSH occupational
exposure banding process have appeared in The Synergist,
including “The NIOSH Decision Logic for OEBs” (bit.
ly/oebsdecisionlogic, March 2016) and “The ‘Bandits’
Speak” (bit.ly/thebanditsspeak, May 2018).
USING BIOERGO SURVEILLANCE IN TOTAL WORKER HEALTH
Wednesday, June 3, 9:15–10:15 a.m.
Total Worker Health, a holistic approach to well-being,
has a large presence at AIHce EXP 2020. In this ses-
sion, one of several in the TWH track, an occupational
medicine physician and the manager of a well-being
program at a global company will discuss the application
of wearable technology and Big Data to the manage-
ment of manual handling fitness-for-duty programs and
processes. Attendees will learn how to use ergonomic
surveillance data to promote employee engagement.
RELATED: Read about the implementation of TWH in
the city of Portland, Oregon, in the October 2019
Synergist at bit.ly/synergistbewell.
THE FUTURE OF MACHINE LEARNING IN IH—MODERN PREDICTIVE
MODELING APPROACHES
Wednesday, June 3, 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Machine learning—a form of artificial intelligence
through which systems can learn from experience—holds
promise as a way to process streams of IH data into
useful knowledge. Presenters will discuss the application
of machine learning to Bayesian analysis techniques that
industrial hygienists can use to design risk prevention
programs. The role of citizen science, which makes use
of data collected by the general public for scientific pur-
poses, will also be addressed.
RELATED: Read “Predictive Purposes” (bit.ly/
syn1803f1) in the March 2018 Synergist to learn about
the possibilities of using Big Data in industrial hygiene.
“The Tech Tide” (bit.ly/techtidesynergist) in the
February 2017 issue discusses citizen science.
FIELD MEASUREMENTS TO PREDICT LEGIONELLA
Wednesday, June 3, 10:30–11:30 a.m.
This session presents the results of a study that suggests
water quality parameters such as pH, free chlorine,
and temperature are not predictive of the presence of
| April 2020 14
Legionella in building water systems. Testing is rec-
ommended to determine a system’s overall Legionella
colonization rate and risk for Legionnaires’ disease.
RELATED: Several recent Synergist articles have
addressed Legionella. “The New Age of Legionella” (bit.
ly/synergist-legionella) from the June/July 2015
issue introduces AIHA’s guidance on assessing water
systems in buildings. “Performing Legionella Source Risk
Assessments” (bit.ly/legionellasource) in the April
2019 issue presents a method of hazard analysis that can
help prevent Legionella growth. And “Legionella Regula-
tions in New York” in the June/July 2019 issue assesses
the effectiveness of regulations in New York state and
New York City intended to reduce the risk of exposure to
Legionella.
AIR SAMPLING RESEARCH UPDATES
Wednesday, June 3, 2:15–3:15 p.m.
The presentations in this session address cutting-edge
topics in sampling and analysis. These topics include
an explanation of how several common sampling errors
can affect aerosol measurement, a call to reconsider the
requirement for a minimum sample volume specified in
many sampling methods, and a comparison of air sam-
pling methods for peracetic acid in poultry plants.
RELATED: Read “Advice for Active Sampling” in the
October 2018 Synergist (bit.ly/adviceactive
sampling) and “Versatile and Vexing: The Many Uses
and Hazards of Peracetic Acid” in the December 2016
Synergist (bit.ly/synergistpaa). A discussion about
minimum sampling volume can be found on Catalyst,
AIHA’s online community, at bit.ly/minsamplevol.
CLOSING GENERAL SESSION—THE NEUROSCIENCE OF INFLUENCE
Wednesday, June 3, 3:30–4:45 p.m.
The author and speaker René Rodriguez will explain how
industrial hygienists can apply behavioral neuroscience
to expand their influence at work. AIHA members may
remember Rodriguez as the keynote speaker for the 2017
AIHA Fall Conference, where he offered advice IHs could
use to change workers’ behaviors. “If you’re trying to
influence behavior just based on data, it’s not going to
work,” Rodriguez told attendees.
RESOURCES
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: “Letter Health Consultation:
Evaluation of Potential Health Impacts from Ethylene Oxide Emissions,” bit.ly/
etoletter (PDF, August 2018).
Time: “‘Trauma Is Not New to Any of Us.’ Doctor Who Once Treated Saddam Hussein
on Caring for Odessa Victims,” bit.ly/timeodessa (September 2019).
The Synergist: “Fall Conference Keynote: How Great Leaders Influence Behavior,”
bit.ly/fallconfkeynote (January 2018).
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STANDARDS
ADMINISTRATIVE
RULEMAKING CORRECTS
ERRORS IN 27 OSHA
STANDARDS
A notice published by OSHA in
the Federal Register in February
corrects errors such as omis-
sions, outdated references, and
tabular and graphic inaccuracies
in 27 of the agency’s standards.
According to OSHA, the rule
revises standards in record-
keeping, construction, general
industry, shipyard employment,
and longshoring. The revisions
included in this administrative
rulemaking do not expand,
modify, or revoke employer
obligations or impose new costs.
The substantive requirements
and coverage of the standards
are likewise not affected by the
final rule.
“The purpose of these cor-
recting amendments is to reduce
regulatory burdens by correcting
the inaccuracies in regulatory
text and graphics,” the Federal
Register notice explains.
OSHA’s corrections to the
standards went into effect on
Feb. 18, 2020. For further details,
including a more detailed
discussion of the revisions, see
the Federal Register notice at bit.
ly/rulerevision.
| April 2020
NEWSWATCH
U.S. Healthcare Facilities
Prepare for Community
Spread of COVID-19
Editor’s note: Information about the novel coronavirus outbreak is rapidly developing. Visit www.aiha.org/news for updated
information from The Synergist and bit.ly/coronavirusresources for links to authoritative resources.
A
fter a Seattle nursing
home became a focal
point for novel coro-
navirus transmis-
sion in the United States following
the deaths of several residents, the
Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention released interim guidance for
healthcare facilities (bit.ly/covidinter
imhc) in February that recommends
preparing for community spread of
COVID-19. The guidance advises facil-
ities to educate staff on the disease,
explore alternatives to meeting with
patients face to face, optimize supplies
of personal protective equipment, and
prepare for managing patients with
respiratory illness.
“Preserving healthcare system
functioning is paramount,” the guid-
ance reads. “Facilities may need to
respond to a surge in patients requir-
ing care. Concentrated efforts will be
required to mobilize all aspects of
healthcare to reduce transmission
of disease, direct people to the right
level of care, and decrease the burden
on the healthcare system.”
The guidance also contains specific
recommendations for outpatient facil-
ities, inpatient facilities, and long-term
care facilities.
On a conference call with report-
ers Feb. 11, Dr. Mike Bell of CDC’s
healthcare quality promotion divi-
sion recommended that facilities
ask patients with symptoms to put
on masks. To reduce the amount of
time symptomatic individuals spend
in healthcare facilities, Dr. Bell sug-
gested that patients be asked to wait in
their cars and then called on their cell
phones when healthcare personnel
are ready to admit them.
During the call, Dr. Marie de Perio
of NIOSH emphasized that healthcare
facilities should use a mix of admin-
istrative and engineering controls in
addition to PPE to control the spread
of the virus. Engineering controls
can include placing barriers between
healthcare personnel and patients,
“Preserving healthcare system functioning
is paramount,” the guidance reads.
“Facilities may need to respond to a surge
in patients requiring care.”
such as glass or plastic windows at
information booths.
In early March, the World Health
Organization called on manufacturers
to increase production of PPE by 40
percent to meet rising demand around
the world. Each month, according to
WHO, an estimated 89 million medical
masks, 76 million examination gloves,
and 1.6 million goggles are needed
for COVID-19 response efforts. The
organization warned that disruptions
caused by the disease, rising demand,
and hoarding are putting lives at risk.
“Without secure supply chains, the
risk to healthcare workers around
the world is real,” said WHO Direc-
16
BACTERIA AND VIRUSES
tor-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghe-
breyesus. “Industry and governments
must act quickly to boost supply, ease
export restrictions, and put measures
in place to stop speculation and hoard-
ing. We can’t stop COVID-19 without
protecting health workers first.”
Interim guidance from WHO (PDF,
bit.ly/whoppecovid) dated Feb. 27
recommends strategies for optimiz-
ing the availability of PPE, including
the use of telemedicine to evaluate
suspected cases of COVID-19 and
barriers to reduce exposure of health-
care workers to the virus. WHO also
recommends restricting access of
healthcare workers to the rooms of
COVID-19 patients.
Dozens of disinfectants that can be
used against the novel coronavirus were
identified on EPA's “List N” (PDF, bit.ly/
epalistn). The products are part of the
agency's emerging viral pathogens pro-
gram. Coronaviruses are "enveloped"
viruses, which means they are among
the easiest types of viruses to kill with
the appropriate disinfectant, according
to EPA. The agency strongly recom-
mends following the product label use
directions for enveloped viruses.

OSHA Establishes National Emphasis Program to
Reduce Silica Exposures
An OSHA directive (PDF, bit.ly/febsil
ica) that went into effect at the begin-
ning of February describes policies
and procedures for implementing a
National Emphasis Program to reduce
or eliminate worker exposures to
respirable crystalline silica in general
industry, the maritime industry, and
construction. As part of the NEP, OSHA
will target specific industries expected
to have the highest exposures to silica
and focus on enforcement of the agen-
cy’s new silica standards, which were
published in March 2016. The respi-
rable crystalline silica construction
standard became enforceable on Sept.
23, 2017, and general industry and
maritime employers were required to
begin complying with their standard
on June 23, 2018.
The new NEP replaces OSHA’s 2008
CSB Approves Final Rule on Accidental Chemical
Release Reporting
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard
Investigation Board has approved a
final rule that will require business
owners or operators to submit acci-
dental release reports to CSB within
eight hours of a release. CSB origi-
nally proposed a four-hour deadline
but extended it to eight after receiv-
ing comments that were generally
critical of the shorter timeframe. The
rule is intended to ensure that the
agency receives quick and accurate
reports of accidental releases of reg-
ulated substances or other extremely
hazardous substances. The Federal
Register notice about the rule (see
bit.ly/csbreporting) states that the
NEWSWATCH
emphasis program for crystalline
silica, which was canceled in Octo-
ber 2017. The replacement program
addresses enforcement of OSHA’s
new silica standards, which include
a lower eight-hour time-weighted
OSHA will target specific industries
expected to have the highest exposures
to silica and focus on enforcement of the
agency’s new silica standards.
average permissible exposure limit for
respirable crystalline silica of 50 µg/
m3 in general industry, maritime, and
construction. The new NEP also con-
tains an updated list of target indus-
tries, refers compliance safety and
reports will only require information
that is already known or should be
available to an owner or operator
soon after an accidental release. In
addition, the required information
will be limited in scope to infor-
mation required for the agency to
make informed decisions regarding
its jurisdiction, interagency coordi-
nation, and deployment.
In the text of the rule, CSB describes
the importance of its investigators
arriving at accident sites within 24
hours following a release.
“CSB has learned over its history
that prompt deployment…helps satisfy
several legitimate objectives: pres-
17
SILICA
health officers to current enforcement
guidance for OSHA’s silica standards,
and requires state OSHA agencies to
participate in the program.
OSHA plans to conduct 90 days of
compliance assistance for stakehold-
ers prior to beginning programmed
inspections for the new NEP. More
information is available in the agency’s
news release (see bit.ly/silicarelease)
and on its safety and health topic page
for crystalline silica at bit.ly/silcrys.
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS
ervation of key physical evidence and
obtaining witness testimony while the
information regarding the release is
fresh,” the agency says. “Prompt
arrival of CSB investigators also
allows them to gain an understand-
ing of what changes may have been
made to an accident scene during
emergency response.”
In a statement (see bit.ly/csb
state), CSB Interim Executive Kris-
ten Kulinowski said that the agency
intends to work cooperatively with
stakeholders to ensure that affected
parties understand and comply with
the rule. The final rule became effec-
tive on March 23, 2020.
www.aiha.org |
CHEMICAL AND MATERIAL
HAZARDS
CHEMICAL INFORMATION
PORTAL UPDATE SEEKS TO
IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY
A new version of eChemPortal
(bit.ly/echemp), a tool that
provides free public access to
information on the properties
of chemical substances, is now
available from the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and
Development. Version 3.0, which
was released on Feb. 3, includes
an updated user interface, a
refreshed design, and improved
navigation. Other new features
include search functionality from
the eChemPortal home page,
filtering and sorting on results
tables, and a preliminary indi-
cation of the number of results
expected in a search by chemical
properties. Users can simul-
taneously search reports and
datasets by chemical name and
number, by chemical property,
and by classification according to
the Globally Harmonized System
of Classification and Labelling of
Chemicals, or GHS. eChemPortal
also provides exposure and use
information for chemicals.
eChemPortal was first
launched in 2007 and was devel-
oped by OECD in collaboration
with the European Chemicals
Agency. Learn more about OECD
at bit.ly/oecdinfo.

REGULATION AND PUBLIC POLICY
NIOSH EXPANDS FOCUS
OF TWH TO ADDRESS
EMERGING ISSUES
NIOSH has expanded the focus of
its Total Worker Health initiative
to include work-related issues
such as innovative technolo-
gies, working conditions, and
emerging forms of employment
that the agency says present
new risks for the current and
future workforce. According to
NIOSH, this wider focus also
acknowledges connections
between health conditions that
may not arise from work but can
be adversely affected by work.
TWH involves policies, programs,
and practices that integrate
protection from work-related
safety and health hazards with
promotion of injury and illness
prevention efforts to advance
worker well-being.
NIOSH’s updated list of issues
relevant to advancing worker
well-being using TWH approach-
es includes technologies such as
artificial intelligence, robotics,
and sensors. Other items
covered in NIOSH’s list include
the prevention and control of
hazards and exposures, compen-
sation and benefits, policies, and
workforce demographics.
A PDF of NIOSH’s updated
list can be downloaded from
the agency’s website at bit.ly/
twhelist.
| April 2020
NEWSWATCH
U.K. Government: Worker Protections Continue
Following “Brexit”
The United Kingdom’s Health and
Safety Executive reminded employ-
ers that their responsibilities to pro-
tect workers will remain the same
during the transition period following
“Brexit,” the U.K.’s formal withdrawal
from the European Union. The U.K.
left the EU on Jan. 31, 2020, and the
transition period during which the
EU and the U.K. will negotiate new
arrangements for a trade deal will be
in place until Dec. 31, 2020. “Brexit
Day” follows a June 2016 referendum
in which U.K. constituents voted to
withdraw from the EU. HSE is the
government agency responsible for
workplace health and safety in the
U.K.
A page on HSE’s website, bit.ly/
hsebrx, collects the latest guidance
on health and safety during the tran-
sition period, including information
Space Station Research Group Wins NIOSH
Safe-in-Sound Award
On Feb. 21, NIOSH presented its
annual Safe-in-Sound Excellence
in Hearing Loss Prevention Award
to the 2020 winner, the Multilateral
Medical Operations Panel (MMOP)
Acoustics Sub-Working Group for
the International Space Station
(ISS). The research group received
the award, recognizing innovation in
hearing loss prevention, for identify-
ing the risks facing ISS crewmem-
bers and developing solutions to
reduce exposure.
Acoustical engineers, audiolo-
gists, industrial hygienists, and phy-
sicians from multiple international
space agencies comprise the MMOP
Acoustics Sub-Working Group. They
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION
on chemical regulations, work equip- and manage the risks linked to the
ment and machinery regulations, and substances they manufacture and
working with explosives. market in the EU; the EU regulation
The European Chemicals Agency, on the classification, labelling, and
ECHA, previously urged chemical packaging of substances and mix-
ECHA urged chemical companies based
in Europe to take action to stay on the
EU market after Brexit by continuing to
comply with their obligations under
EU regulations.
companies based in Europe to take tures, or CLP; the Biocidal Products
action to stay on the EU market Regulation, or BPR; and PIC, the EU
by continuing to comply with their regulation concerning the export and
obligations under the EU’s Registra- import of hazardous chemicals. A
tion, Evaluation, Authorization and page on ECHA’s website (see bit.ly/
Restriction of Chemicals regulation, echabrx) collects information related
which requires companies to identify to Brexit for chemical companies.
NOISE
work with ISS crewmembers to track ing alarms, and threatening perma-
noise levels, record noisy tasks and nent hearing damage. The Acoustics
equipment, test equipment before it Sub-Working Group was created to
is sent into orbit, find solutions for address these challenges, and as a
reducing noise levels, recommend result of their success, no permanent
hearing protection equipment, and mission-related hearing changes have
perform audiometric tests before, been reported among American crew-
during, and after flights. members for the almost 20 years the
The ISS functions as a workplace ISS has been in operation.
and home for, on average, six astro- The award was presented at the
nauts and cosmonauts, who may Annual Conference of the National
spend six or more months on the Hearing Conservation Association in
vessel at a time. In orbit, they are Destin, Fla. More information is avail-
constantly exposed to noise from the able from NIOSH’s press release at
equipment controlling their air, water bit.ly/safeinsound2020. The agency
supply, and experiments taking place, is currently accepting nominations
raising concerns over difficulties in for the 2021 award at bit.ly/safenom
sleeping, communicating, and hear- until July 15, 2020.
18
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NIOSH recently investigated possible exposures of laboratory workers to
Quantify the Known
several illicit substances, including cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and metham- Identify the Unknown
phetamine. Following a request from the management of a police forensic
sciences division, NIOSH conducted site visits at three of the division’s labo-
HCl HF HCN Acrolein Cold Sterilants
ratories to observe work practices, assess conditions, interview employees,
review records, and collect samples. NIOSH personnel reported finding PH3 Benzene CO CO2 CS2 WAGs Freons
detectable levels of the controlled substances in employees’ air and handwipe
Toluene SO2 Arsine NH3
samples, and on laboratory surfaces. Since no occupational exposure limits
for these substances have been set by the federal government or consensus Nerve Agents …
organizations, NIOSH compared the workers’ exposures with other types of
guidelines available from the pharmaceutical industry and at the state level.
None of the fentanyl levels detected in air were higher than the OEL set by
a fentanyl manufacturing company of 0.1 μg/m3, and no surfaces exceeded a
fentanyl contamination limit of 1 μg/100 cm2 that was developed for internal
use by a pharmaceutical manufacturer. However, seven laboratory surfaces
surpassed the most commonly used state limit for methamphetamine con-
tamination of 0.1 μg/100 cm2. Sampling also showed that even employees
who had not worked with evidence containing the drugs on the day of NIOSH’s
visit had detectable levels in air and handwipe samples.
Despite the exposures, no employees reported symptoms that might result
from handling cocaine, methamphetamine, or opioids at work in the three
months prior to NIOSH’s investigation. However, NIOSH did find occasional
evidence of symptoms associated with handling phencyclidine, or PCP, in
Toxic Vapor
facility records and one staff interview. Although reports of health effects
resulting from these exposures were limited, NIOSH stresses that the division Monitoring Badge
should take additional steps to protect employees.
Unintentional employee exposure to illicit substances may have resulted
from workplace practices and conditions. For example, NIOSH found that six
of the eight fume hoods in the laboratory bench areas did not meet guidelines
for average face velocities set by AIHA and the American National Standards
Institute in the standard ANSI/AIHA/ASSP Z9.5-2012, Laboratory Ventilation.
Likewise, the facilities’ respiratory protection program was not specific or
instructive enough to adequately protect employees. NIOSH investigators
also observed several employee practices that could result in contamination,
such as inconsistent hand washing and eating and drinking in laboratories.
NIOSH recommended a variety of changes to help protect laboratory
workers, including adding enclosed or semi-enclosed ventilated workplaces;
updating lab cleaning protocols; reminding all employees to wash their hands
before leaving areas where controlled substances are kept or handled, and
before eating and drinking; discouraging employees from eating or drinking
in lab or storage areas; and updating personal protective equipment plans. • Results will be analyzed by an AIHA-LAP, LLC
Accredited Laboratory
NIOSH also advised that the division improve communication between
• Results in 72 hours
employees, management, and law enforcement agencies, as well as address
• Chemicals such as: Formaldehyde, Xylene,
lab safety issues such as blocked emergency showers. Nitrous Oxide and many more
For further details, read a PDF of the report on NIOSH’s website at bit.
ly/consubrep.
ACS Badge • (561) 338-3116 • http://www.acsbadge.com

19 www.aiha.org |
 NEWSWATCH
RISK ASSESSMENT

Professional Liability Insurance

Designed for Industrial Hygiene
& Environmental Consultants “WebExpo” Project Publishes Algorithms
for IH Calculations
The research organization IRSST has created a
public repository of algorithms that can be used
in some of the most frequently performed cal-
culations in industrial hygiene risk assessment,
Endorsed
the organization said in a press release at bit.
by AIHA! ly/webexpopr. The goal of the project, which
is called “WebExpo” (see bit.ly/irsstwebexpo)
is to simplify the interpretation of occupational
Coverage Highlights
Professional Liability exposure measurements, according to IRSST.
Pollution Liability The algorithms make use of Bayesian statistical
Commercial General Liability techniques, which IRSST says can facilitate risk
Mold Coverage communication due to the ease with which Bayes-
Exclusive Member-Only Rates ian inferences can be presented as probabilities.
An accompanying report (see bit.ly/webexporept)
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(855) 279-AIHA explains how the algorithms were developed and
https://AIHA.alliant.com serves as documentation for their use.
“Bayesian methods were chosen because they
provide direct answers to questions such as ‘What
are the chances of this group of workers being
overexposed?’ or ‘What are the chances of my
intervention reducing exposure by half?’” said
Jérôme Lavoué, principal investigator and associ-
ate professor in the Department of Environmen-
tal and Occupational Health at the University of
Montreal. “This type of information makes it much
easier to communicate risks to non-specialists.”
The WebExpo report states that industrial
hygienists have been slow to adopt statistical
tools for IH calculations. One possible reason
for this hesitance, according to the report, is the
difficulty of explaining the output of current IH
statistical tools to workers and other laypeople.
Lavoué said that applying Bayesian techniques
to exposure measurements also allows industrial
hygienists to account for errors in measurement
and for values reported by analytical laboratories
as “non-detects.” Learn more from IRSST at bit.
ly/irsstbayes.

LEAD

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Hazard Alert Reports Elevated Blood Lead

ADVERTISER PAGE
Levels among Kentucky Workers
ACS Badge 19
A hazard alert issued in February by the Kentucky Surveillance program (see bit.ly/bloodpb), NIOSH
Alliant Insurance Services 20
Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) works with state programs such as the Kentucky
Assay Technology, Inc. 7 raises concerns about blood lead levels among Department for Public Health to accurately mea-
Casella CEL, Inc. 15 adults in the state. According to KIPRC, Kentucky sure trends in work-related adult BLLs. In 2015,
Dräger 15 has averaged BLL rates 40 percent higher than the the agency designated 5 µg/dL of whole blood, in
estimated national prevalence rate since 2010, the a venous blood sample, as the reference BLL for
Inside Front
EMSL Analytical year NIOSH began tracking BLL rates greater than adults. A BLL of greater than or equal to 5 µg/dL
Cover
or equal to 10 µg/dL. Nearly 800 individuals age is considered elevated.
EMSL Analytical Back Cover 16 and up had at least one BLL measurement at The new hazard alert (PDF, bit.ly/pbalert) was
Gasmet Technologies, Inc. 19 or above 10 µg/dL from January 2017 to October developed in part by KIPRC’s NIOSH-funded Ken-
2019, the report states. tucky Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance
Nanozen 31
Workers in the construction, mining, smelting, Program (see bit.ly/koshsp), which conducts
RAECO Rents LLC 21 and manufacturing industries should be con- surveillance of occupational injuries and illnesses
SGS North America 9 cerned about potential occupational exposure in the state. KIPRC is a partnership between the
to lead, KIPRC says. Lead exposure in adults Kentucky Department for Public Health and the
Inside Back
SKC, Inc. can result in health effects such as reproduc- University of Kentucky's College of Public Health.
Cover
tive problems, high blood pressure, and kidney Learn more about KIPRC at bit.ly/kiprc.
TSI, lnc. 5 issues. More information about lead in the workplace
See this month’s Product Features on page 35. Through its Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and can be found on OSHA’s website at bit.ly/oshalead.

| April 2020 20
 NEWSWATCH
REGULATION AND LEGISLATION
866-736-8347
www.RaecoRents.com
President's Budget Proposal
Simplify Heat Stress Management
Would Eliminate NIOSH ERCs,
Monitor workplace heat exposure indoors and out.
CSB Datalogging, dry bulb, wet bulb, globe sensor, and
waterless wet bulb models available for
President Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2021 seeks to cut NIOSH’s short- or long-term rental projects.
budget to $190 million, which is $152.8 million below the agency’s funding
level for FY 2020. The proposal would eliminate the agency’s Education and
Research Centers and stop federal funding to support academic salaries,
stipends, and tuition and fee reimbursements for occupational health pro-
fessionals at universities. NIOSH’s ERCs are part of the agency’s mission to
train the next generation of occupational safety and health practitioners and
researchers. At the president’s proposed level, budget documents (PDF, bit.
ly/presbud) explain that NIOSH would “focus on the highest priority occu-
pational safety and health research, including research on mining safety
and personal protective technology.” The proposal also argues that some
NIOSH activities “could be more effectively conducted by the private sector.”
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is again up for
elimination. CSB, which investigates industrial chemical accidents and makes
recommendations for improving the safety of plants, workers, and commu-
nities, is proposed for elimination because “its overlap with other agency
Daily, weekly, and long-term rentals. Free UPS Ground
investigative authorities has often generated friction.” CSB is requesting a round-trip shipping on every rental order $500 or larger.
budget of $13.1 million in FY 2021. The agency’s budget justification (PDF,
bit.ly/csbagreq) details its accomplishments related to chemical incident
investigations, recommendations to reduce future safety risks and hazards,
and safety outreach and collaboration.
“CSB investigations have collectively identified gaps in regulatory require-
ments, industry standards and guidance, workforce training and operations,
and emergency planning and response that caused or exacerbated the human
and environmental consequences of incidents,” CSB’s budget document
reads. “If the CSB’s many safety lessons prevent at least one catastrophic
incident, the costs avoided from damage to facilities and the surrounding
communities, legal settlements, and the loss of human life far outweigh the
agency’s annual budget.”
The president’s budget proposal also recommends a decrease in funding
for OSHA: $4.4 million less than the FY 2020 enacted level of $581.2 million.

Mold Book, 2nd edition

Proposed cuts include eliminating the Susan Harwood Training Grants, which
the budget documents characterize as “unnecessary and unproven.” OSHA’s
training grants provide education for workers and employers on workplace
safety and health hazards, responsibilities, and rights. The grants target
underserved, low-literacy, and high-hazard industry workers.
Under President Trump’s proposal, MSHA would see a net budget increase Tap into the most current and compre-
of $1,771,000 over the FY 2020 enacted level. According to DOL’s budget docu- hensive resource covering the basic
practice of managing indoor mold.
ment, the FY 2020 proposal includes $256,988,000 for mine safety and health
enforcement activity within MSHA, which comprises the formerly separate coal
Scrutinized by external peer review,
mine safety and health and the metal and nonmetal mine safety and health this new release offers the expertise of
budget activities. DOL’s funding request (PDF, bit.ly/dolreq) explains that this industrial hygiene practitioners, academ-
new enforcement structure is intended to provide “flexibility to address industry ics, government officials, and scientists.
changes and [maximize] the efficient use of MSHA's resources.”
FY 2021 will begin on Oct. 1, 2020, and end on Sept. 30, 2021. Detailed
Get your copy today at
budget documentation from DOL is available online at bit.ly/dolbudinfo.
The president’s budget proposal is posted on the White House website at bit.ly/MoldBook
bit.ly/presbudg.
21 www.aiha.org |
PROTECTING
WORKER
HEALTH
Biohacking and
the Workplace
BY SPENCER PIZZANI

Natali_Mis/Getty Images
| April 2020 22
Hank sits across from you in your office, nervously shuffling
a packet of papers. “The test results say that I have a single nucleotide polymorphism in the
DNMT1 gene,” he says. He hands you a printed page from the National Library of Medicine
website. “That page says I’m at increased risk for losing my hearing.”
You scan the page, reviewing the abstract. You remember some of the terms from classes
taken years ago, but this is not familiar territory. Still, who else at your facility, or your com-
pany, could make heads or tails of this kind of scientific literature?
Every department Hank is qualified for requires hearing protection. He has been wearing
ear plugs in his current role for seven years.
He eyes you nervously. “I don’t want to cause any trouble. You know I need this job. But I want to
be able to hear my granddaughter play her violin. So, what do you think we should do?”

Are you ready for these kinds of questions?

Industrial hygienists are the leading experts on pro-
tecting worker health, providing advice on subjects of
ever-increasing complexity, and explaining the context in
which this advice can be leveraged to minimize risk. With
this responsibility comes the need to prepare for change in
both the workplace and society.
Advancing technology presents new industrial pro-
cesses and agents to understand; new processes, controls,
and materials to characterize; and new topics to master.
Our practice is constantly evolving to provide the best
information and judgment to our stakeholders. Much of
this change is easily digested—adjustments to occupational
exposure levels based on new toxicology data, the develop-
ment of an innovative new instrument, or the meticulous
validation of an improved analytical method. More esoteric
developments demand growth from many professionals.
Recent examples include evolving concepts of the expo-
some, a revolution in predictive statistical methods, and
predispositions from asynchronous exposures. The same
approach applies to adapting evaluation techniques to pro-
tect workers who may be unusually vulnerable to certain
risks, or who have been modified in a variety of emerging
ways.
VULNERABLE AND MODIFIED
Occupational exposure limits and other risk-related con-
cepts are often intended to protect most (or nearly all)
workers from occupational illness. Even so, some workers
do not fall into these categories for reasons such as chem-
ical hypersensitivities or conditions such as cystic fibrosis.
They are a small fraction of those present in the workplace,
but their presence is not new, even if our understanding of
these conditions has improved. Wearers of medical devices
and those who have declared as pregnant are also under-
stood to require additional protections. Collectively, we can
consider these individuals to fall under the general category
of “vulnerable and modified”—cases where caveats apply to
routine guidance, as these conditions require special atten-
tion and care when evaluating exposures.
Our rapidly advancing understanding of genetics,
microbiomes, medical devices, and other topics of individu-
alized health is already hitting home.
With only a vial of saliva and a few weeks of waiting,
people can obtain an individualized genotyping report,
arming themselves with an unprecedented level of personal
data. The internet allows patients to find information about
their specific genetic conditions and predispositions.
In 2013, the actress Angelina Jolie announced that she
had opted for a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy based
on the results of genetic screening. With a family history
of breast cancer, the presence of the BRCA1 gene informed
her decision to reduce her risk of developing the disease.
As a public figure, Jolie helped enhance the public’s under-
standing of specific genetic predispositions and

23 www.aiha.org |
is suspected to have contributed to an uptick in targeted
genetic screening. Just a few years later, genetic screening
is prevalent enough that concerns have been raised about
the privacy of these reports.
Diabetics, for whom medical devices have long been
a way of life, are now advancing from multiple daily
finger-sticks to continuous glucose monitors worn on the
arm or abdomen that constantly stream analytics to their
smart phones. Backed by robust medical recommenda-
tions, the widespread adoption of implantable medical
devices is now an estimated global market of $20 billion,
driven in part by increasing adoption among an aging
workforce. More than ever before, hardware is a part of
healthcare.
On the horizon are biomedical tattoos, gene therapy
using CRISPR-based techniques, and other unimaginable
innovations that stand to markedly improve the health of
workers while also presenting a host of complications that
will affect the basic practice of industrial hygiene and risk
management in the workplace. It’s reasonable to expect
that patients empowered by internet search engines and
other resources may raise difficult but important questions
about how they’re protected at work.
The union representative comes to talk to you in
private. “Some of the crew are a little concerned
about Larry’s ability to serve as confined space
attendant,” he tells you. “That heart gizmo—what
did you call it?”
“An implantable cardioverter defibrillator. ICD,”
you say.
“Right, that.” He nods. “Anyway, they’re worried
that he might have an episode and pass out. Or
that it might interfere with the gas monitor. Or that
someone might hack it, and they might be in danger.
They know it’s unlikely, but doesn’t that put the
entrants at increased risk?”
BIOHACKING
Not all of these advances are the domain of prescriptions,
devices, and services approved by regulators. Given eco-
nomic pressures and the conservative pace of regulatory
approval for an overwhelming number of therapies
and devices, many individuals rely on their ingenuity
to address specific concerns. These do-it-yourself treat-
ments or modifications are the domain of those seeking
improved “bioautonomy” by assuming a degree of personal
risk. Colloquially, this collection of practices is known as
biohacking.
Biohacking pertains to the modification of biological
systems using hardware, software, or the lesser-known
wetware (existing biological structures and mechanisms).
A cochlear implant is hardware. A nutritional guidance
algorithm is software. The proximal tubules in your kidney
| April 2020 24
are wetware. Biohackers seek to study or influence biologi-
cal systems, including their own bodies, for understanding
or improvement, sometimes by any means available.
Biohackers may perform at-home polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) testing to find the horse meat in their lasa-
gna, perform a CRISPR treatment in hopes of improving
their muscle development, or grow bioluminescent yeast
to brew glow-in-the-dark beer. In 2019, an online commu-
nity of diabetics developed an algorithm for automatically
dosing insulin by sharing data between continuous glucose
monitors and insulin pumps, closing the loop on an “arti-
ficial pancreas” to ease the pressure of constant vigilance
required by their condition.
Projects like this are neither speculative nor for the
squeamish. Considered cosmetic bordering on guerilla, bio-
hacks are almost always done without anesthetic or medical
oversight. Nor is biohacking without acknowledged utility.
Trades dealing with electricity have been known to coat
neodymium magnets in the bioinert coating parylene-c and
implant them in fingertips to provide haptic sensation in
the presence of strong electric fields. This modification has
been held anecdotally responsible for the prevention of sig-
nificant shocks when encountering unexpectedly live parts.
Finally, biohacking is not the sole domain of amateurs.
Dr. Phil Kennedy, a neurologist, implanted electrodes in
his own brain to further his research on the neurological
basis of language when no other patients were an option.
Dr. Josiah Zayner, a biophysicist, transplanted his systemic
microbiome in a hotel room using a non-surgical proce-
dure he designed himself. Any comedic value presented by
projects either whimsical or frivolous is overshadowed by
the (perhaps anecdotal) success of the dedicated and highly
qualified.
Paul asks to speak with you privately at the con-
struction site. “I’m worried about my sun exposure,”
he explains. “My mother-in-law was just diagnosed
with melanoma, and I’ve never been much for sun-
screen. We’re working out here all day, you know?
So I got myself one of these skin monitors.”
Embedded in his arm is a personal UV sensor.
As you watch, he cycles the display on his phone to
show “182% TLV.”
“UV is a carcinogen, right?” he asks. “So, don’t
you have a duty to protect me?”
SHARED TERRITORY
The use of devices to monitor and quantify health-related
values is familiar to industrial hygienists. Innovation in
sensor technology has driven development of education
and guidance, which has led to advancements in profes-
sional practice needed to accommodate unprecedented
data streams and improved hazard control. Biohackers
are, in this matter, kindred spirits—seeking insight into
their health or bodies using the best available methods.
But complications arise when technology allows laypeople
to monitor exposures, a task traditionally reserved for
professionals.
The same desire for information and involvement that
drives informed patients can easily extend to informed
workers. Seeking to understand their exposures, they can
use personal devices to collect measurements without their
employer’s knowledge. These consumer-grade products
lack the precision and reliability of most fit-for-purpose
instruments used by a skilled professional. Many industrial
hygienists have already been on the receiving end of data
gathered from well-intentioned but potentially question-
able smartphone applications for noise or vibration. The
bioautonomy mindset that motivates biohacking could
easily lead employees to monitor their exposures without
the employer’s knowledge, which presents a number of dif-
ficult questions, especially when monitoring is conducted
by the litigious, the vocal, or the misinformed.
The possibility of worker self-monitoring presents as
much potential for conflict as it does opportunity to part-
ner with employees to develop informed opinions, gain
insight about their concerns, and further characterize
risks. Core values can guide professional practice in the
shared territory of monitoring. Known risk is better than
unknown risk. Exposures to agents should be controlled
to the maximum extent practical, and everyone deserves
to be protected from the threat of occupational illness.
These principles can guide much of our thinking until
norms and guidance are developed. In situations where
core values are insufficient, the ethical boundaries of pro-
fessional practice should govern our actions, especially
when authoritative exposure limits and guidance are still
catching up.
CALLS TO ACTION
Our basic assumptions about the employees we seek to
protect may change for the vulnerable and the modified,
even if our basic function of mitigating exposures does
not. We need to improve our preparedness for handling
unusual situations by establishing professional standards
for care and frameworks for methodology. This material
should be made available as guidance for professionals
seeking to develop competence in this area.
In January, a proposal was submitted to the AIHA Con-
tent Portfolio Advisory Group suggesting development of
a Body of Knowledge (BoK) for vulnerable and modified
employees. A BoK is a critical step in identifying and orga-
nizing the competencies needed by industrial hygienists
to address the challenges of protecting groups that need
special attention.
Several sources, including ACGIH, the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Interna-
tional Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
provide excellent guidance for wearers of medical devices
concerning exposures to electromagnetic radiation. These
sources can serve as templates for the development of guid-
ance for vulnerable and modified employees.
Technical guidance specific to handling genetic pre-
dispositions to occupational illness is sorely needed to
consolidate and frame the rapidly growing volume of
peer-reviewed literature. Ideally, this authoritative guid-
ance will be developed by an internationally recognized
group such as ACGIH or the Occupational Alliance for Risk
Science. Such guidance would assist a competent industrial
hygienist in referencing known occupational predisposi-
tions for specific stressors, given either a specific genetic
architecture or specific agent of concern. The key to suc-
cessful guidance will be usability as well as awareness of
these issues among the community of practice. Once this
guidance is available, dedicated professionals must commit
to sharing it with their peers.
Finally, we as a profession should evaluate what stan-
dard of knowledge we expect from a competent industrial
hygienist in comprehensive practice. The ability to read
and understand the literature of genetic predisposition is
perhaps an emerging essential competency of industrial
hygiene. As a community, we are more than up to the task
of meeting this emerging need for those who are most at
risk. We must have the courage to fulfill our responsibility
to do our best to protect them.
SPENCER PIZZANI, CIH, is the industrial hygiene program
manager for Pepsico Beverages North America. He can be
reached at spencer.pizzani@gmail.com.
Send feedback to synergist@aiha.org.
RESOURCES
Techcrunch: “Citizen Scientists, You Can Now DIY Your Own DNA Analysis with Bento Lab,” bit.
ly/citscidna (March 2016).
The Atlantic: “A Biohacker Regrets Publicly Injecting Himself with CRISPR,” bit.ly/biohacker
regret (February 2018).
The Atlantic: “People Are Clamoring to Buy OId Insulin Pumps,” bit.ly/atlanticinsulin (April
2019).
The New York Times: “My Medical Choice,” bit.ly/joliechoice (May 2013).
The Odin: Bacterial CRISPR and Fluorescent Yeast Combo Kit, bit.ly/crispryeast.
The Verge: “A Bitter Pill,” bit.ly/vergebitter.
Wired: “Magnet-Implanting DIY Biohackers Pave the Way for Mainstream Adoption,” bit.ly/
wiredbiohackers (September 2012).
Wired: “The Neurologist Who Hacked His Brain—And Almost Lost His Mind,” bit.ly/wired
hacked (January 2016).
Zion Market Research: “Global Active Implantable Medical Devices Market Set for Rapid
Growth, to Reach Around USD 23.33 Billion by 2024,” bit.ly/ziondevices (September 2018).
25 www.aiha.org |
 Critical Factors

It’s the
for Heat Stress
Assessment and
Prevention

Heat
—And the Humidity

H
eat-related illnesses are
insidious conditions that
can affect almost anyone
with little warning, espe-
cially since symptoms may
affect one’s ability to recognize the
danger. The danger is pervasive:
according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, exposure to environmental
heat was associated with 3,120 cases
of lost workday injuries or illnesses
and 49 fatalities in 2018. However,
many cases likely go unreported.

BY ROBERT N. PHALEN
AND CATHERINE L. BESMAR

| April 2020 26
 The problem goes beyond staying out of the sun, staying
hydrated, and taking regular breaks for recovery. Imagine some-
one exercising vigorously within an air-conditioned gym. She is
physically fit, drinking plenty of water, and wearing loose, breath-
able clothing. Could she be at risk of heat stress? Yes—although if
the exerciser were outside in the sun, in high humidity, the devel-
opment of heat stress would likely occur much sooner. All that
is needed for the onset of heat stress is for the energy and blood
demanded by the muscles to compete with the body’s cooling
mechanisms.
Heat stress is a complicated issue and one occupational health
and safety professionals must not overlook, as a worker can
become heat stressed even when the temperatures are mild. We
must consider heat stress as a multifactorial condition that arises
due to many circumstances.
Our focus here is on the factors strongly associated with the
development of heat stress, especially those we can control as pro-
fessionals. We will discuss the importance of each factor and show
how they can be used collectively to assess heat stress, as well as
identify and implement effective preventive measures.

CRITICAL FACTORS
Seven main factors are associated with heat stress: temperature,
air velocity, humidity, radiant heat, clothing, metabolic rate, and
acclimatization. Two additional factors—body weight and work-
rest schedule—affect metabolic rate. Still other factors contribute
to heat stress for certain susceptible individuals. The contribution
of each factor varies depending on the work scenario. Under-
standing this, and being able to recognize and evaluate heat stress
factors, are first steps in preventing and controlling heat-related
illnesses.

Temperature
Elevated ambient temperatures affect the body’s ability to dis-
sipate heat. Heat flows from a warmer body to a cooler one by
means of conduction, convection, or radiation. If the surrounding
air is warmer than the body, heat transfers into and accumulates
within it. The body responds by increasing skin temperature,
which may reverse the transfer and aid in heat dissipation, but the
body has its limitations.

Air Velocity
Air velocity affects both evaporative cooling and convective heat
transfer. When the air temperature is less than skin tempera-
ture (approximately 35 C or 95 F at rest), increased air velocity
increases sweat evaporation and the removal of heat from the
body. However, if the air temperature is significantly above skin
temperature, then air movement in fact increases the rate of heat
transfer from the air to the body, the same mechanism that makes
a convection oven effective.

TRAVEL67/Getty Images

27 www.aiha.org |
Zephyr18/Getty Images
Humidity
The relative humidity (RH) ranges from zero to 100 per-
cent and is a measure of how much water vapor is in the air
compared to how much it can hold. The primary relevance
of RH to heat stress is its effect on the human body’s main
mechanism of cooling, the evaporation of sweat from the
skin’s surface. When the RH is less than 50 percent, sweat
efficiently evaporates from the skin, cooling the under-
lying blood vessels. But when the RH is higher, the air
cannot hold as much additional water vapor. Evaporation
decreases, and with it, the cooling effect.
Radiant Heat
Thermal radiation, a form of electromagnetic radiation,
is dependent on the temperature difference between
opposing surfaces, and often passes through the air with-
out heating it significantly. For example, the sun radiates
visible, ultraviolet, and infrared rays that can be absorbed
by the body and other surfaces, and so do radiant heat
sources such as open flames, furnaces, and molten
metal or glass. If the radiant source is warmer than the
body and there are no obstructions, then heat can be
transferred to the body. Sitting around a campfire is an
example of radiant heat.
Clothing
Clothing has a variety of positive and negative effects on
heat stress, depending on the situation. When air tem-
peratures are significantly above skin temperature and the
| April 2020 28
air is moving, clothing can reduce the convective transfer
of heat to the skin. When air temperatures are below skin
temperature, less clothing coverage and more breathable
fabrics improve heat dissipation and evaporative cooling.
Conversely, thicker clothing and multiple layers insulate
the body and retain unwanted heat. Impermeable chemical
protective clothing and suits can also affect the body’s cool-
ing by preventing sweat from evaporating.
Metabolic Rate
Metabolic rate is the amount of energy expended over time.
Heat is a major byproduct of energy. Thus, the human body
generates a lot of heat, especially during physical exertion.
The higher the physical exertion, the higher the metabolic
rate and heat generation.
One of the dangers of overexertion is that more body
heat is accumulated than can be dissipated, leading to heat
stress. Work-rest schedules can improve the situation by
allowing the body time to eliminate excess heat. Guidelines
by ACGIH and NIOSH are designed to help professionals
regulate work-rest schedules based on metabolic rate and
the other factors discussed here.
It is often overlooked that heavier people have a higher
metabolic rate, and that most standards are based on data
for a 70 kg (154 lb.) person. The ACGIH threshold limit
values and the OSHA Technical Manual provide details on
how to adjust metabolic rate based on body weight, and it is
important to consider overweight and obese workers more
at risk for heat stress.
Acclimatization
The human body can adapt to hot conditions, becoming
more efficient at heat dissipation and evaporative cooling,
but this takes up to two weeks and starts to wane after
as little as four days away from hot temperatures. Unac-
climated workers are at a higher risk of heat stress. Both
ACGIH and NIOSH guidelines have established criteria
for acclimated and unacclimated workers, and the NIOSH
resource provides further details on how to acclimate
workers to hot environments.
ASSESSING HEAT STRESS
The ACGIH TLVs and NIOSH’s Criteria for a Recom-
mended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Heat and
Hot Environments provide detailed guidelines on assess-
ing heat stress. The following steps are common to each:
1. D
 etermine the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT),
which considers temperature, air velocity, humidity, and
radiant heat. WBGT is preferred over a standard heat
index, which only reflects temperature and humidity.
For outdoor work, Argonne National Labs developed a
validated WBGT calculator that allows for pre-planning
based on geolocation, time, and weather data. Real-time
WBGT monitors can be used as well but are best for
applications when conditions are stable and predictable.
Pre-assessment and planning are essential for proper
prevention and control.
2. D etermine the WBGT-Effective using a clothing adjust-
ment factor (CAF), when applicable. For example,
use of double-layer woven clothing may increase the
WBGT by 3 C or 5.4 F. Encapsulating vapor-barrier
suits may increase the WBGT by 11 C or 19.8 F. The
WBGT-Effective is the sum of the WBGT and CAF.
3. E stablish the metabolic rate, based on the level of phys-
ical exertion required by the task and the worker’s body
weight. Both the ACGIH TLVs and the NIOSH criteria
document provide details on determining metabolic rate.
4. Determine the work-rest schedule for the work. For
example, it might be 15 minutes of rest for every hour of
work, or as high as 45 minutes of rest every hour under
extreme conditions.
5. Determine the occupational exposure limit using the
metabolic rate, work-rest schedule, and acclimatization
status. For acclimated workers, ACGIH provides a TLV
and NIOSH provides a recommended exposure limit. For
unacclimated workers, these become an action limit or
recommended alert limit (RAL).
6. Compare the WBGT-Effective to the appropriate OEL.
7. Take preventive measures when the WBGT-Effective
exceeds the OEL, as these workers would be at risk of
developing heat stress.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
When the heat stress assessment shows that workers are
at risk, the best approach is to review the assessment to
identify and control those factors contributing most to the
WBGT-Effective or OEL. The solutions will vary from one
situation to the next, and in some complex cases innovation
and an internal task force will be required to find them.
The ACGIH and NIOSH resources provide lists of basic
solutions. The following examples correspond to the critical
factors described above. Those marked with an asterisk (*)
can lower the WBGT-Effective or increase the OEL, thus
reducing risk.

Putting It Into Practice

The following scenario demonstrates
Hazard Assessment: Using the National Weather Service, a maximum temperature
how implementing preventive measures
of 72 F was forecasted at 2 p.m., with a relative humidity of 69 percent and 10 mph
based on the results of a heat hazard
winds. Based on the workers’ geolocation and work conditions, the WBGT-Effective is
assessment can reduce the risk of heat
72.5 F. However, this is well above the NIOSH RAL of 67 F. Despite low temperatures,
stress.
the workers are at risk of heat stress.
Scenario: Five unacclimated work- Contributing Factors: From the assessment, the identified heat stress hazards
ers are to plant hundreds of small trees
include sun exposure, high humidity, strenuous physical exertion, and unacclimated
and shrubs using hand shovels. They
workers.
are working outside continuously from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with only short water
Solutions: The feasible corrective actions include replacing the majority of hand
breaks and one hour for lunch. It is
digging with the use of a powered auger, decreasing the metabolic rate and also im-
partly cloudy with a solar irradiance of
proving productivity; providing shade from the sun to reduce radiant heat exposures;
980 watts per square meter (W/m2). (For
and adjusting the work schedule to avoid work between 2 and 4 p.m.
more information about solar irradiance,
see Chapter 4 of the OSHA Technical
Result: Reassessment under the new work conditions results in a maximum tem-
Manual.) Their work attire includes
perature of 70 F at 1 p.m., a significant reduction in solar irradiance, and reductions
pants, long-sleeve shirts, leather gloves,
in metabolic rate. The new WBGT-Effective is 66.7 F, which is below the also improved
and a hardhat. Half of the workers weigh
NIOSH RAL of 69 F. The workers are no longer at increased risk of heat stress under
about 200 lbs.
these conditions, and the project time is reduced as well.

29 www.aiha.org |
Temperature
• Reschedule work for cooler times of the day.*
• Avoid strenuous work between 2 and 4 p.m., the hottest
parts of the day.*
• When possible, preassemble products indoors under
controlled conditions before outdoor installation or
construction.*
Air Velocity
• Increase air velocity using fans when air temperatures are
below skin temperature and humidity is low.*
• Shield against wind when air temperatures are signifi-
cantly above skin temperature.*
Humidity
• This factor may be more difficult to control for as outside
humidity typically peaks near sunrise and drops midday.
The WBGT calculator from Argonne National Laboratory
can help determine what times of day are best for strenu-
ous outside work.*
• Control and lower humidity in indoor settings.*
• Use local exhaust ventilation to capture and control
humidity sources.*
Radiant Heat
• Provide shade from the sun.*
• Provide radiant barriers between sources and workers.*
• Provide workers with lighter-colored clothing.
• Provide workers with protective clothing that acts as a
barrier to radiant heat.
Clothing
• Reduce clothing layers when safe and feasible.*
• Adjust clothing coverage based on the relationship
between ambient and skin temperatures.
• Provide lighter-colored, breathable clothing and increase
skin coverage for intense sun exposures.
• Provide cooling devices, such as vortex cooling devices,
on supplied-air suits.
Metabolic Rate
• Lessen manual labor and physical exertion using pow-
ered tools or other engineering controls.*
• Adjust work-rest schedule to include more frequent and
longer rest breaks.*
Acclimatization
• Gradually acclimate new and returning workers to hot
environments.*
• Reduce physical exertion for unacclimated workers.*
SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS
Additional protective measures may be necessary for
unacclimated workers, those with higher metabolic rates
due to body weight, or those wearing chemical protective
clothing such as hazmat suits. In addition, workers with
various medical conditions (see the NIOSH criteria doc-
ument) or a history of heat illness are more susceptible.
| April 2020 30
Medical surveillance and physiological monitoring are rec-
ommended under these circumstances to ensure workers
are adequately protected. Monitoring body temperature
or heart rate recovery can catch early stages of heat stress.
Workers can also monitor their body weight and urine color
as indicators of possible dehydration. The NIOSH criteria
document provides details on these different strategies.
TAKEAWAYS
Heat stress is a complex condition that requires focus on
more than just temperature extremes. A thorough heat
stress assessment that accounts for all these factors is a
critical first step toward the prevention and control of
heat-related illnesses and fatalities. A proper assessment
can help identify factors we can address and control. How-
ever, we must also recognize that medical surveillance
and physiological monitoring may be necessary with some
workers, such as those with a prior history of heat-related
illness and certain medical conditions, including obesity.
ROBERT N. PHALEN, PHD, CIH, FAIHA, is an associate
professor and program chair of Occupational Safety and
Health at University of Houston-Clear Lake in Houston,
Texas. He can be reached at phalen@uhcl.edu or (281)
283-3753.
CATHERINE L. BESMAR is a graduate student in Occupa-
tional Safety and Health at University of Houston-Clear
Lake in Houston, Texas. She served as a research assistant
on an OSHA Susan Harwood heat stress training grant,
has conducted research in the field, and has given many
presentations on the topic. She can be reached at
besmarc3062@uhcl.edu.
Send feedback to synergist@aiha.org.
RESOURCES
ACGIH: 2019 TLVs and BEIs, “Heat Stress and Strain” (2019).
Argonne National Laboratory: Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) Version 1.2, 2008,
available via the OSHA Technical Manual, Section III, Chapter 4, “Heat Stress.”
BLS: Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities, “Fatal occupational injuries by industry and
event or exposure, all United States, 2018,” Table A1, bit.ly/bls-iff.
BLS: Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities, “Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and
illnesses involving days away from work by event or exposure leading to injury or
illness and selected sources of injury or illness, private industry, 2018,” Table R33,
bit.ly/bls-iff.
Energy Procedia: “Estimation of Global Solar Radiation Using Three Simple Methods”
(2013).
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene: “Modeling the Wet Bulb Globe
Temperature Using Standard Meteorological Measurements” (October 2008).
NIOSH: Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Heat and Hot
Environments, bit.ly/heatstress-nioshcriteria (February 2016).
OSHA: OSHA Technical Manual, Section III, Chapter 4, “Heat Stress,” bit.ly/oshahs.
The Synergist: “Heat Hazards: Protecting Workers in Hot Environments,” bit.ly/
synergistheat (April 2016).
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 Chemical
Protective
Clothing
A Primer on Permeation,
Penetration, and Degradation
BY NORMAN W. HENRY III, CURTIS HINTZ,
AND ROBERT N. PHALEN
T
he mantra is that protective clothing is
the “last line of defense” against chemi-
cal exposure, used when engineering and
administrative controls cannot be applied
or when there is a residual risk after their
implementation. However, even though IHs
are trained to treat chemical protective clothing (CPC)
as a last resort, it remains common in many workplace
scenarios. For example, handling chemicals at all stages
of production and use, from the research lab to the waste
facility, is often done manually, with the protection of
gloves and garments, so that the risk of potential skin con-
tact cannot be avoided. Furthermore, proper CPC should
always be available in the event of a chemical spill or other
emergency.
IHs know the importance of CPC, but not always the
extent to which CPC materials can resist any of the numer-
ous chemicals present in the workplace, particularly those
new to the market. In these circumstances, IHs continually
face the problem of how to select appropriate CPC while
lacking data on the materials’ chemical resistance.
A study reported in the 1971 chapter on protective cloth-
ing in the CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety evaluated
the permeation of aromatic amines through the neoprene
suits used at a plant where workers experienced cyanosis
(blue appearance of the skin, indicating lack of oxygen
in the blood). The study determined that butyl was more
resistant to amines than neoprene. After the plant changed
to butyl suits, cases of cyanosis decreased. The first perme-
ation test cell generated the data to support the permeation
resistance of butyl. A standard test method was needed in
order to determine permeation resistance. At that time,
only the NIOSH criteria documents on various commodity
chemicals reported guidance on permeation resistance,
| April 2020 32
recommending simply that workers wear “impervious”
protective gloves and suits, often without mention of spe-
cific materials. Fortunately, IHs have made great strides
since the 1970s and into the 21st century. We are now able
to select appropriate protective clothing based on test data
generated from standard methods, such as ASTM F739,
first published in 1983.
This article focuses on common CPC testing standards.
Not all testing standards are available for all products. The
three main types of testing used to assess CPC chemical
resistance are penetration, degradation, and permeation.
PERMEATION TESTING
Permeation is the process by which a liquid or gas moves
through a protective clothing material, glove, suit, or other
garment on a molecular basis. Permeation requires the
sorption of liquid or gas molecules into the outer material
surface, diffusion of these molecules through the material,
and then subsequent desorption from the opposite side
(Figure 1). Under ideal conditions, this process obeys Fick’s
Law of diffusion and is very predictable. With chemical
permeation, the two key measures are the breakthrough
detection time (BT) and the permeation rate (PR). Together
the BT and PR provide the end user with critical informa-
tion on “how soon” and “how fast” the chemical permeates
the CPC. Manufacturers that conduct permeation testing
with their products often provide this data to customers in
chemical resistance charts, along with penetration and deg-
radation data in some cases.
In June 2020, Wiley will publish an updated Quick
Selection Guide of Chemical Protective Clothing, 7th Edi-
tion. It provides permeation data on approximately 1,000
chemicals, brands, and mixtures for 27 representative bar-
rier materials produced by manufacturers.
Breakthrough Time
The BT is the time to first detection, in minutes, of the
chemical passing through the material to the inner side.
Due to the differences in sensitivities of analytical meth-
ods, BT is often normalized (NBT) to represent detection
of a specific amount in µg per cm2 of material. Caution
must be exercised when comparing BT data, as detection
limits vary among sources. The value of having a BT, or
better yet, an NBT, is that it provides an indication of how
long the material will resist a chemical before it contacts
the underlying skin. However, BT does not indicate the
amount of a chemical that will permeate in a given amount
of time or account for the chemical’s toxicity or any hazard
associated with it.
Permeation Rate
The PR, in units of µg/cm2/min, is either a maximum rate
of permeation or the rate at equilibrium (known as the
steady-state permeation rate or SSPR). The permeation
rate indicates how fast the chemical will move through the
material following breakthrough, which can be of impor-
tance with more hazardous substances. Where the BT
provides a lag-time for exposure, the PR can give a more
reliable indication of potential skin exposure over time.
For More Information on Standards
The American National Standards Institute, ASTM
International, the International Organization for Stan-
dardization, and the National Fire Protection Association
have published permeation standards. Unfortunately,
despite recent efforts, they are not well harmonized. For a
complete review of current practices and test methods for
chemical permeation, we recommend “Glove Permeation
of Chemicals: The State of the Art of Current Practice, Part
1,” published in the November 2019 issue of the Journal
of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. The paper
compares various standards for testing, identifies research
gaps, and even discusses the value of whole glove testing
and simulated movement. The authors state that ASTM
F739 and the original 1-inch test cell should be the primary
permeation test cell for all the standards. They also recom-
mend harmonization among standards, especially in the
determination of a normalized BT and SSPR.
Harmonization and further improvement will likely
simplify CPC selection, help expand existing databases,
and instill more confidence among end users, but use of
more innovative equipment and analytical instrumentation
for testing would add cost to products. For now, we must
select appropriate protective clothing using the current
available test methods for permeation, with an under-
standing that different manufacturers use different test
methods.
PENETRATION TESTING
Penetration is the flow of a chemical through zippers, weak
seams, pinholes, cuts, or imperfections on a non-molecular
level. Penetration of chemicals through protective clothing
can result in dermal exposures, but typically on a larger
scale than is seen with permeation.
Standard test methods for determining penetration
include ASTM F903 and ISO 13994, which focus on pen-
etration by liquid chemicals. Solids, gases, and biological
materials can also penetrate CPC but are evaluated by dif-
ferent methods.
The F903 and ISO 13994 methods test penetration by
applying the challenge agent to the outside surface of a
test specimen of a protective garment within a special test
cell. Typically, the challenge agent is also slightly pressur-
ized for part of the test cycle. Several different pressure
or time sequences for different situations are listed in the
standard. For example, Procedure C, specified by NFPA for
testing protective garments for emergency response, calls
for 0 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) for 5 minutes,
followed by 2 psig for 1 minute, followed by 0 psig for 54
minutes. The test lasts for 60 minutes and results in either
a “pass” or a “fail.” (Observation of the challenge agent on
the inside surface of the test specimen results in a fail.) The
time needed to reach this point is recorded for the chemical
in question, and the manufacturer reports to customers.
Use of Penetration Data
Often, the best source of penetration data is the manu-
facturer of the protective garment in question. However,
recognizing whether the provided data is for penetration as
opposed to permeation, and understanding the difference
between the two, can be difficult for end users selecting
CPC. Manufacturers of protective garments often provide
penetration data for products intended for chemical splash
situations where actual exposure is unlikely. In the event
of chemical contact, the expectation is that the wearer will
stop the task and doff the contaminated garment before the
chemical permeates it. In contrast, manufacturers of gar-
ments for severe scenarios where contact is expected likely
provide permeation data instead of penetration data.
Figure 1. Permeation is the process by which a liquid or gas
moves through protective clothing on a molecular basis.
SORPTION DIFFUSION DESORPTION
OUTER SURFACE MATERIAL INNER SURFACE
33 www.aiha.org |
 Ideally, the data will be clearly identified as either per-
meation or penetration, but users should also pay attention
to any footnotes or comments that identify the test method
used. As discussed in this article, ASTM F903 is commonly
used for determining resistance to penetration while ASTM
F739 is the method of choice for determining resistance to
permeation.
DEGRADATION TESTING
Chemical degradation is a change in one or more physical
properties of a material following contact with a chemical.
It is an indication that certain chemical action on the mate-
rial will degrade its desired barrier properties. The data
may be useful to end users, but more so for manufacturers
to ensure that reliable chemical permeation testing can be
performed.
In most testing strategies, the chemical is immersed or
put in contact with one side of the material for a set time,
at an elevated temperature, and then evaluated for changes
in weight, thickness, volume, tensile properties (associated
with molecular structure), or other physical characteristics
such as color or shape. The results can indicate chemical
incompatibility and potential for product failure but may
not correlate with the product’s barrier properties under
use. The three common testing standards used with CPC
are ASTM D471, ANSI/ISEA 105, and EN 374-4.
ASTM D471
The ASTM D471 method is often used with rubber-like
elastomers and coated fabrics. The chemical contact time
and temperature varies, so results are not comparable
from one dataset to the next. Interpretation of the results
is not well defined, and performance ratings can vary. The
AIHA Chemical Protective Clothing book provides an
example (Table 1) of how one manufacturer rated degrada-
tion based on weight change.
ANSI/ISEA 105
The ANSI/ISEA 105 degradation method relates more to
testing chemical protective gloves and puncture resistance,
but results can indicate chemical degradation and incom-
patibility. Significant changes in puncture resistance can
indicate chemical action on the material and changes in its
molecular structure. More notably, the method provides a
Table 1. Degradation Ranking Based on Weight Change
Degradation Ranking Percent Weight Change
Excellent 0-10%
Good 11-20%
Fair 21-30%
Poor 31-50%
Not Recommended Over 50%
Source: AIHA Chemical Protective Clothing, 2nd Edition
| April 2020
consistent set of testing conditions and a rating scale rang-
ing from one to nine, which allows end users to compare
and choose products that meet their needs.
EN 374-4
The EN 374-4 method is similar to ANSI/ISEA 105 but
does not include a rating scale and also allows for eval-
uating weight change. The percent change may not be
reported to end users.
PROTECTING THE SKIN
The skin is the second most important route of exposure
in the workplace. While IHs are well aware of chemical
protective clothing, they may not be as knowledgeable of
the tests used to determine CPC performance. Knowing
the basics of permeation, penetration, and degradation can
help IHs and end users select the best garments for pro-
tecting against dermal exposures.
NORMAN W. HENRY III, MS, CIH, FAIHA, is a consultant
for Safety and Health by Protection (SHBP) and can be
reached at shbp@comcast.net or (443) 207-2105.
CURTIS HINTZ, CIH, CSP, is an industrial hygiene manager
with The Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas. He
can be reached at hintzcw@dow.com or (979) 238-9682.
ROBERT N. PHALEN, PHD, CIH, FAIHA, is an associate
professor of Occupational Safety and Health at Univer-
sity of Houston-Clear Lake in Houston, Texas. He can be
reached at phalen@uhcl.edu or (281) 283-3753.
Send feedback to synergist@aiha.org.
RESOURCES
AIHA: Chemical Protective Clothing, Second Edition (2003).
AIHA: Personal Protective Clothing in The Occupational Environment: Its Evaluation, Control
and Management, Third Edition (2011).
American National Standards Institute: ANSI/ISEA 105, American National Standard for
Hand Protection Classification (2016).
ASTM International: ASTM D471, Standard Test Method for Rubber Property—Effect of
Liquids (2016).
ASTM International: ASTM F739, Standard Test Method for Permeation of Liquids and Gases
Through Protective Clothing Materials Under Conditions of Continuous Contact (2012).
ASTM International: ASTM F903, Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in
Protective Clothing to Penetration by Liquids (2018).
CRC: “Protective Clothing” in CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety (1971).
International Organization for Standardization: ISO 13994, Clothing for Protection against
Liquid Chemicals—Determination of the Resistance of Protective Clothing Materials to
Penetration by Liquids Under Pressure (2005).
International Organization for Standardization: ISO EN 374-4, Determination of Resistance
to Degradation by Chemicals (2013).
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene: “Glove Permeation of Chemicals: The
State of the Art of Current Practice, Part 1: Basics and the Permeation Standards”
(November 2019).
Wiley: Quick Selection Guide to Chemical Protective Clothing, Sixth Edition (June 2014).
34

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| April 2020
COMMUNITY
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
BANDS: A REINTRODUCTION
BY BRYAN SEAL
I
n the early 1900s, IH pio-
neers like Alice Hamilton, J.J.
Bloomfield, and Phil Drinker
took to the workplace to save
workers’ lives and improve conditions
on the shop floor. During these early
decades, industrial hygienists used
available medical, toxicological, and
epidemiological information to make
informed judgments about the rela-
tive hazard of workplace chemicals,
a laborious and time-consuming
process. In 1946, ACGIH published
its first list of occupational exposure
limits, the Threshold Limit Values.
Use of OELs like the TLVs, OSHA’s
Permissible Exposure Limits, or
AIHA’s Workplace Environmental
Exposure Levels, along with advances
in air sampling methods, makes
workplace evaluation significantly
more efficient. Unfortunately, there
are fewer than 1,000 OELs, leaving a
significant shortage of OELs for the
available chemicals.
Occupational exposure banding is a
heuristic for quickly assigning chem-
ical substances to “bands” of expo-
sure levels based on their associated
health outcomes. The pharmaceutical
industry started using exposure band-
ing methods about 20 years ago to
help assess health hazards. Recently,
NIOSH published its OEB process
based on the level of knowledge about
the chemical of concern. The NIOSH
process considers the information
from the nine standard toxicological
health endpoints: (1) carcinogenicity;
(2) reproductive toxicity; (3) specific
target organ toxicity; (4) genotoxicity;
(5) respiratory sensitization; (6) skin
sensitization; (7) acute toxicity; (8) skin
corrosion and irritation; and (9) eye
damage or irritation.
NIOSH specifies a tiered approach
to categorizing chemicals based on
the skill of the assessor and the level
of information. Tier 1 uses general,
publicly available information such
as hazard statement codes (H-codes)
from safety data sheets. Tier 2
involves database searches of the
nine health endpoints and requires
The AIHA Exposure
Control Banding
Committee wants
AIHA members’ help
to achieve our goal
of creating a public
database with com-
pleted exposure
bands.
training to conduct appropriately. Tier
3 categorization involves higher qual-
ity information such as peer-reviewed
toxicology and epidemiology reports
and a commensurate level of exper-
tise to interpret the information. The
NIOSH process includes five bands:
Band A is the least protective and has
the highest air concentrations, while
Band E is the most protective and
has the lowest air concentrations.
In a Tier 1 assessment, considered
a screening assessment, users can
assign chemicals to only the more
protective bands (C through E). Once
36
more information becomes available,
the assessment can move to Tier 2
and the use of Bands A and B.
As part of their routine workplace
risk assessments, most IHs probably
review safety data sheets and look
at the H-codes and possibly other
documents for individual chemical
components to decide which chemi-
cals require further evaluation. This
review might constitute a Tier 1 and
quite possibly a Tier 2 assessment.
The AIHA Exposure Control Banding
Committee wants AIHA members’
help to achieve our goal of creating a
public database with completed expo-
sure bands. Please consider sharing
your exposure bands with the com-
mittee by posting them to Catalyst at
bit.ly/catalystbanding.
For further information about
occupational exposure banding,
see NIOSH’s web page on the topic
at bit.ly/oebtopic. Furthermore,
as chair of the Exposure Control
Banding Committee, I invite AIHA
members to attend any or all of
the three educational sessions on
exposure banding offered at AIHce
EXP 2020. Lastly, AIHA’s Exposure
Control Banding Committee asks
everyone interested in volunteering
to attend the committee’s meeting
at the conference and contribute to
exposure banding.
Bryan Seal, MS, CIH, CSP, is manag-
ing principal of Contemporary Industrial
Hygiene & Safety, Inc.
Editor’s note: This article was origi-
nally published in different form on the
SynergistNOW blog on March 4, 2020.

Strategic Partnership Focuses on IAQ and IEQ
AIHA and six other nonprofit orga-
nizations, including the Indoor Air
Quality Association, recently signed a
memorandum of understanding for
indoor air and environmental qual-
ity. Donald Weekes, CIH, FAIHA, a
member of AIHA’s Indoor Environ-
mental Quality Committee, signed
the agreement on behalf of AIHA.
The purpose of the MoU, known
as the “Allied Industry Partners,”
is to identify and recognize current
standards and credentials devel-
oped and administered by its partner
organizations and related industry
groups. These include AIHA’s Indoor
Air Quality/Indoor Environmental
Quality Framework for practi-
tioners (see bit.ly/ieqframework),
which provides a compendium of
knowledge and practicum as rec-
ommended by a joint panel of AIHA
AIHA Joins OSHA’s Ambassador Program
In February, AIHA joined the Ambas-
sador Program of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor's OSHA. The Ambas-
sador Program builds upon OSHA's
Alliance Program and is intended to
improve workplace health and safety
by sharing information and guidance
and providing access to vital training
resources. Under the agreement,
AIHA and OSHA will strengthen rela-
Dates and Deadlines
APRIL 23
AIHA webinar: “Heat Stress: Assess-
ment and Control.” Visit bit.ly/
aihawebinars.
APRIL 30
AIHA webinar: “The Ear Poisons: An
Introduction to Ototoxicants.” Visit
bit.ly/aihawebinars.
JUNE 1–3
AIHce EXP 2020 in Atlanta, Ga. Visit
www.aihce2020.org.
COMMUNITY
and IAQA experts.
“[This] MoU will enable all of
the [partner] organizations to fur-
ther their commitment to creating
safer and healthier environments
for people potentially exposed to
adverse health conditions,” said
Weekes. “The cooperation between
AIHA and our allied industry part-
ners will help establish common
standards and credentials for better
indoor air quality.”
The Allied Industry Partners
comprise AIHA, the National Air
Duct Cleaners Association, IAQA,
the American Bio Recovery Asso-
ciation, the Environmental Infor-
mation Association, ACGIH, and
the Basement Health Association.
These organizations have agreed to
cooperate and coordinate at a level
that ensures maximum efficiency
tionships between AIHA’s Local Sec-
tions and OSHA’s national, regional,
and area offices to address workplace
health and safety issues.
“AIHA has always been a proud
partner of OSHA,” said AIHA Pres-
ident Kathleen S. Murphy, CIH.
“Joining the Ambassador Program
shows our members’ commitment to
worker health and safety, as well as to
SEPT. 15–17
PSX 2020 (formerly the Product
Stewardship Conference) in Hous-
ton, Texas. Visit bit.ly/psx2020.
SEPT. 21–24
AIHA’s “Fundamentals of Industrial
Hygiene” course in Westerville, Ohio.
Visit bit.ly/aihafihcourse.
37
Notice of Annual Business
in exchanging information, uses all Meeting
available resources to provide better
AIHA’s annual business meeting will be
health for workers, and is consistent
held at AIHce EXP 2020 in Atlanta, Ga.,
with the principles of all the Allied
at 4:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June
Industry Partners. The partners will
3, to introduce incoming officers and
encourage their members to work
directors and address other association
cooperatively on the mutual review
business. In order to establish a quorum
and revision of industry standards
for this meeting, a call for proxy votes
and will serve as a unified voice on
will be made electronically.
regulation and legislative issues
when appropriate.
“The strategic partnership with Changes Coming to
these six organizations is a clear AIHce EXP
example of AIHA’s approach to
In her February Synergist column, AIHA
improving worker health and safety
President Kathleen S. Murphy wrote
by strengthening our cooperation
about some of the changes that AIHce
and partnerships with like-minded
EXP attendees can expect at the
organizations,” said AIHA President
upcoming conference in Atlanta, Ga.
Kathleen S. Murphy, CIH.
Bethany Chirico, AIHA's managing direc-
More information is available in
tor of Global Meetings and Business
AIHA’s press release at bit.ly/allied
Development, recently discussed the
partners.
process that led to these changes on
SynergistNOW. Read the blog post at bit.
ly/aihcechanges. Learn more about or
register for AIHce EXP 2020 at www.
collectively moving forward together
aihce2020.org.
to ensure the standards, best prac-
tices, and methods are applied.”
Photographs from the signing Have You Heard of
ceremony are available from AIHA’s Safety Matters?
press release at bit.ly/ambass
Safety Matters, a program presented by
adoraiha. More information about
NIOSH and AIHA, is designed to raise
AIHA’s collaborative relationship
awareness among young people about
with OSHA can be found on OSHA’s
workplace safety and health and to
website at bit.ly/allianceosha.
provide an understanding of the skills
they need to become active partic-
ipants in creating safe and healthy
work environments. Learn how to help
OCT. 19–21
make information regarding workplace
AIHA’s “Exposure and Chemical
safety training available in your school
Monitoring - Beyond IH Fundamen-
districts and contact your legislators
tals” course in Westerville, Ohio. Visit
about incorporating this vital curriculum
bit.ly/aihamonitoring.
today.
Visit AIHA's Safety Matters Center at
For a complete list of events, visit bit.ly/aihasafetymatters for more
www.aiha.org/calendar. information and additional resources on
teen safety in the workplace.
www.aiha.org |

From “Hazard Alert: Elevated
Blood Lead Levels in Workers”:
“Since the National Institute for
Occupational Safety & Health
(NIOSH) began tracking BLL rates ≥10
μg/dL for adults in 2010, Kentucky
has averaged rates 40% higher than
the estimated national prevalence
rate. There is no safe level of lead
exposure.”
SOURCES
Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research
Center: “Hazard Alert: Elevated Blood
Lead Levels in Workers,” bit.ly/
kiprclead (February 2020).
NIOSH: “Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology
and Surveillance (ABLES): ABLES Data,”
bit.ly/nioshables.
NIOSH: “Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology
and Surveillance (ABLES): Reference
Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) for Adults in
the U.S.,” bit.ly/ablesblls.
| April 2020
BY THE NUMBERS
BLOOD LEAD LEVELS IN KENTUCKY WORKERS
A hazard alert issued in February by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center
(KIPRC) drew attention to elevated blood levels among workers in the state. The hazard alert
identified several industries that expose workers to lead, including auto repair, battery man-
ufacturing, firing range instruction, plumbing and pipe fitting, mining, and welding. Data on
blood lead levels in the United States are available through the NIOSH Adult Blood Lead Epi-
demiology and Surveillance program, or ABLES. Information from KIPRC and ABLES appears
below.
5 μg/dL
The NIOSH reference blood
lead level for adults, as of 2015.
While there is no safe level of
lead exposure, BLLs equal to
or greater than 5 μg/dL are
considered elevated.
0.97 μg/dL
Average BLL among U.S.
adults, according to the
2013–2014 National Report on
Human Exposure to Environ-
mental Chemicals.
793
Number of adults in Kentucky
over the age of 16 who had at
least one BLL measurement at
or above 10 μg/dL, from January
2017 through October 2018.
15.8
26.6
In 2010, the number per 100,000 employed adults with
In 2016, the number per
100,000 employed adults with
a BLL greater than or equal to
a BLL greater than or equal to 10 μg/dL among 37
10 μg/dL among 26 states that
states that reported BLL data.
reported BLL data.
38
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