The Senate Commission of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) on the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area has presented the 2005 Maximum Allowable Concentrations (Maximale Arbeitsplatzkonzentrationen MAK) and Biological Tolerance Values (Biologische Arbeitsstofftoleranzwerte BAT) list and submitted it to the German Federal Minister of Economics and Labour. It contains suggestions for MAK values, i. e. the maximum allowable concentration of a working substance in the workplace atmosphere as a gas, steam or aerosol that, according to current knowledge, does not impair the health of employees exposed during eight-hour working days over the long term. Furthermore, the working substances are classified according to their carcinogenic, germ cell mutagenic, reproduction-endangering, sensitising, and skin-absorptive effect. Compared to the previous year, there were 70 changes and new entries.
Changes to the 2004 list are marked with an asterisk (*). In addition, the procedure has also been changed. The Commission has made its proposals, but is leaving them up for discussion until 31 December 2005. Until this date, new data or scientific comments may be submitted to the Commission's office. The Commission will review the above and, where appropriate, take them into consideration for their final decision.
This year, two metals deserve particular notice, i. e. antimony and its inorganic compounds, as well as vanadium and its inorganic compounds, which were proven to be carcinogenic working substances in animal experiments. Furan and tetrafluorethylene were also proven to be carcinogenic in animal experiments and, like the above-mentioned metals, were assigned to carcinogenicity category 2.
Trinitroglycerol as a suspected carcinogenic working substance was placed in carcinogenicity category 3B, and the previous MAK value of 0.05 ml/m was suspended until the mechanism of action has been
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Contact: Dr. Jutta Rateike
Jutta.Rateike@dfg.de
49-228-885-2665
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
22-Jul-2005
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