Regulations (Preambles to Final Rules) - Table of Contents Regulations (Preambles to Final Rules) - Table of Contents
• Record Type: Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde
• Section: 7
• Title: Section 7 - VII. Industry Profile
VII. Industry Profile

As described in the 1987 RIA [Ex. 206], OSHA estimates that approximately 2.2 million workers are exposed to formaldehyde at levels of 0.1 ppm or greater. As a result of the introduction of the 1.0 ppm PEL, no workers should currently be exposed at levels above 1.0 ppm. An estimated 83,818 workers are exposed at levels between 0.75 ppm and 1.0 ppm. The balance of about 2.1 million workers are estimated to be exposed at levels between 0.1 and 0.75 ppm. The largest number of exposures currently is in the apparel industry, with an estimated 941,300 exposed workers, 58,831 of which have exposures between 0.75 and 1.0 ppm.

For the purpose of this analysis, it is assumed that (1) establishments are in compliance with the existing OSHA standard and (2) exposure levels have responded as projected in the 1987 RIA.

OSHA's estimates of employee exposures to formaldehyde in 1991 are based upon the exposure estimates in the 1987 RIA with two modifying assumptions: (1) As projected in the 1987 RIA, all employees previously exposed above 1.0 ppm are now exposed at 0.75 ppm; (2) Exposure levels in textile finishing, laboratories and formaldehyde production are now below 0.75 ppm due to improved work practices for complying with the 1.0 ppm rule as well as other rules which have been implemented since the 1987 formaldehyde rule. Therefore, of the 2,156,801 employees currently exposed to formaldehyde, 1,950,429 employees are exposed between 0.1 ppm and 0.5 ppm. Of the remaining employees, 60 percent (122,554) have exposure levels between 0.5 ppm and 0.75 ppm and 40 percent (83,818) are exposed between 0.75 ppm and 1.0 ppm.

Only establishments with exposures between the new PEL of 0.75 ppm and the existing PEL of 1.0 ppm would be affected by the new PEL. These establishments are expected to target average exposures at 75 percent of the new PEL, or 0.56 ppm(1). The number of establishments and exposed employees in affected industries are displayed by exposure level in Table I. 
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  Footnote(1) This targeting strategy is consistent with the assumption
made in the RIA of the 1987 Standard in which it was assumed employers
would reduce exposures to 75 percent of the required PEL. [Ex. 206. p.
V-3]


     Table I - Number of Affected Establishments and Employees by
               Formaldehyde Exposure Level


[Editor's Note: Table I is temporarily unavailable.]

[57 FR 22290, May 27, 1992]

Regulations (Preambles to Final Rules) - Table of Contents Regulations (Preambles to Final Rules) - Table of Contents