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 2006 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. There have been 155 modifications and new entries since last year. The report provides the current scientific basis for the maximum permissible concentrations of substances such as gas, smoke or aerosol in the workplace atmosphere. This year the Commission paid particular attention to the criteria for assessing the danger of chemical compounds during pregnancy. Following the publication of an amended Ordinance on Hazardous Substances, the Commission examined 47 substances for which insufficient data had been available up to now to make an unambiguous classification, and assigned a value to 37 of these substances. Further investigations are intended for clarification of the remaining ten substances. After further tests, two substances, lead and o-toluidine, have been classified as carcinogenic in animal tests and carcinogenic for humans, and as mutagens for germ cells.
Following a change of procedure, new data or scientific comments may be presented to the Commission's Scientific Office after publication of the list up until 31 December 2006; these comments will be examined by the Commission and, if necessary, taken into consideration in the final version. In 2005 comments on eight substances were submitted, resulting in a re-evaluation of antimony and its inorganic compounds.
This year, the following modifications have been made:
Due to the newly determined criteria for the evaluation of health hazards during pregnancy, the Commission tested a total of 62 chemical compounds in the work area. Acetylacetone,
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Contact: Streier
em.streier@dfg.de
49-228-885-2250
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
19-Jul-2006