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Note: This table only includes occupational exposure limits (OELs) for substances listed in the OSHA Z-2 Table. OELs for hundreds of additional substances have been adopted by Cal/OSHA, NIOSH, and ACGIH. These organizations periodically make revisions to their OELs and so they should be consulted directly for their most current values and substances, as well as special notations such as for skin absorption. The TLVs® and BEIs® are copyrighted by ACGIH® and are not publicly available. However, they can be purchased in their entirety on the ACGIH® website at http://www.acgih.org/store/. Permission must be requested from ACGIH® to reproduce the TLVs® and BEIs®. Click here for permission request form.
| Regulatory Limits | Recommended Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OSHA PELs(b) | Cal/OSHA PEL(c)
(as of 4/26/13) |
NIOSH REL(d)
(as of 4/26/13) |
ACGIH® 2014 TLV®(e) | ||||
| Substance | 8-hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) | Acceptable Ceiling Concentration | Acceptable maximum peak above the acceptable ceiling concentration for an 8-hr shift | ||||
| Concentration | Maximum Duration | 8-hour TWA (ST) STEL (C) Ceiling |
Up to 10-hour TWA (ST) STEL (C) Ceiling |
8-hour TWA (ST) STEL (C) Ceiling |
|||
| Benzene(f) (Z37.40-1969) | 10 ppm | 25 ppm | 50 ppm | 10 min | See Annotated Table Z-1 | ||
| Beryllium and beryllium compounds (Z37.29-1970) | 2 µg/m3 | 5 µg/m3 | 25 µg/m3 | 30 min | 0.2 µg/m3 (C) 25 µg/m3 |
Ca (C) 0.5 µg/m3, See Appendix A |
0.05 µg/m3 (IHL) |
| Cadmium fume(g) (Z37.5-1970) | 0.1 mg/m3 | 0.3 mg/m3 | See Annotated Table Z-1 | ||||
| Cadmium dust(g) (Z37.5-1970) | 0.2 mg/m3 | 0.6 mg/m3 | See Annotated Table Z-1 | ||||
| Carbon disulfide (Z37.3-1968) | 20 ppm | 30 ppm | 100 ppm | 30 min | 1 ppm (ST) 12 ppm (C) 30 ppm |
1 ppm (ST) 10 ppm |
1 ppm |
| Carbon tetrachloride (Z37.17-1967) | 10 ppm | 25 ppm | 200 ppm | 5 min in any 3 hr | 2 ppm (ST) 10 ppm (C) 200 ppm |
Ca (ST) 2 ppm [60-min] See Appendix A |
5 ppm (ST) 10 ppm |
| Chromic acid and chromates(h) (Z37-7-1971) | 1 mg/10m3 | See Chromium (VI) compounds in Annotated Table Z-1 | |||||
| Ethylene dibromide (Z37.31-1970) | 20 ppm | 30 ppm | 50 ppm | 5 min | (C) 0.13 ppm, See Section 5219 |
Ca 0.045 ppm (C) 0.13 ppm [15-min] See Appendix A |
See TLV® Documentation on Ethylene dibromide |
| Ethylene dichloride (Z37.21-1969) | 50 ppm | 100 ppm | 200 ppm | 5 min in any 3 hr | 1 ppm (ST) 2 ppm (C) 200 ppm |
Ca 1 ppm (ST) 2 ppm See Appendix A See Appendix C Chloroethanes |
10 ppm |
| Fluoride as dust (Z37.28-1969) | 2.5 mg/m3 | 2.5 mg/m3 | 2.5 mg/m3 | 2.5 mg/m3 as F | |||
| Formaldehyde See 1910.1048 |
See Annotated Table Z-1 | ||||||
| Hydrogen fluoride (Z37.28-1969) | 3 ppm | 0.4 ppm as F (ST) 1 ppm as F |
3 ppm (C) 6 ppm [15-min] |
0.5 ppm as F (C) 2 ppm as F |
|||
| Hydrogen sulfide (Z37.2-1966) | 20 ppm | 50 ppm | 10 min once only if no other measurable exposure occurs. | 10 ppm (ST) 15 ppm (C) 50 ppm |
(C) 10 ppm [10-min] |
1 ppm (ST) 5 ppm |
|
| Mercury (Z37.8-1971) | 0.1 mg/m3 | 0.025 mg/m3 for metallic and inorganic | 0.05 mg/m3 | 0.025 mg/m3 (elemental and inorganic) | |||
| Methyl chloride (Z37.18-1969) | 100 ppm | 200 ppm | 300 ppm | 5 min in any 3 hr | 50 ppm (ST) 100 ppm (C) 300 ppm |
Ca See Appendix A |
50 ppm (ST) 100 ppm |
| Methylene Chloride See 1910.1052 |
25 ppm (ST) 125 ppm See Section 5202 |
Ca See Appendix A |
50 ppm | ||||
| Organo (alkyl) mercury (Z37.30-1969) | 0.01 mg/m3 | 0.04 mg/m3 | 0.01 mg/m3 (ST) 0.03 mg/m3 (C) 0.04 mg/m3 |
0.01 mg/m3 (ST) 0.03 mg/m3 |
0.01 mg/m3 (ST) 0.03 mg/m3 |
||
| Styrene (Z37.15-1969) | 100 ppm | 200 ppm | 600 ppm | 5 min in any 3 hr | 50 ppm (ST) 100 ppm (C) 500 ppm |
50 ppm (ST) 100 ppm |
20 ppm (ST) 40 ppm |
| Tetrachloroethylene | 100 ppm | 200 ppm | 300 ppm | 5 min in any 3 hr | 25 ppm (ST) 100 ppm (C) 300 ppm |
Ca See Appendix A |
25 ppm (ST) 100 ppm |
| Toluene (Z37.12-1967) | 200 ppm | 300 ppm | 500 ppm | 10 min | 10 ppm (ST) 150 ppm (C) 500 ppm |
100 ppm (ST) 150 ppm |
20 ppm |
| Trichloroethylene (Z37.19-1967) | 100 ppm | 200 ppm | 300 ppm | 5 min in any 2 hr | 25 ppm (ST) 100 ppm (C) 300 ppm |
Ca See Appendix A See Appendix C |
10 ppm (ST) 25 ppm |
Annotated Z-2 Table Footnotes, Abbreviations, References Footnotes
(a) The unshaded area on this page Lists PELs from OSHA Table Z-2 in 29 CFR 1910.1000. The shaded area of this page lists other occupational exposure limits (OELs) from Cal/OSHA, NIOSH, and ACGIH®.
(b) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limits (PELS) from 29 CFR 1910.1000 Z-2 Table [58 FR 35340, June 30, 1993; 58 FR 40191, July 27, 1993, as amended at 61 FR 56831, Nov. 4, 1996; 62 FR 1600, Jan 10,1997; 62 FR 42018, Aug. 4,1997; 71 FR 10373, Feb. 28, 2006; 71 FR 16673, Apr. 3, 2006; 71 FR 36008, June 23, 2006.]. PELs are 8-hour time weighted averages (TWAs) unless otherwise indicated. OSHA enforces these limits under section 5(a)(2) of the OSH Act. In addition to the values listed in this table, the Z tables in 29 CFR 1910.1000 list skin absorption designations.
(c) California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) from Table AC-1 last updated March 17, 2012, viewable at http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5155table_ac1.html. Cal/OSHA enforces its PELs in workplaces under its jurisdiction. Cal/OSHA has established occupational exposure limits for compounds not included in the OSHA Z Tables. Please see Cal/OSHA Table AC-1 for additional limits, the most current limits, and other designations such as skin absorption. The Cal/OSHA AC-1 table and regulations should be consulted for explanations.
(d) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs) from the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg)(NIOSH 2007). RELs are for up to 10-hour time weighted averages (TWAs) during a 40-hour work week unless otherwise indicated. NIOSH has established occupational exposure limits for compounds not included in the OSHA Z Tables. Please see the NIOSH Pocket Guide for additional limits, skin absorption and other designations, and explanations.
(e) ACGIH® Threshold Limit Values (TLV®s) (ACGIH® 2014). TLV®s are listed in the order of 8-hour time weighted averages (TWAs), STELs (ST), and Ceilings (C), if available. ACGIH® has established TLVs® for compounds not included in the OSHA Z Tables. Please see ACGIH® Documentation for additional limits, skin absorption and other designations, and explanations. The 2014 TLV® and BEI® Book and Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values on Chemical Substances, 7th Edition are available through the ACGIH® website at http://www.acgih.org. The TLVs® and BEIs® are copyrighted by ACGIH® and are not publicly available. Permission must be requested from ACGIH® to reproduce the TLVs® and BEIs®. Click here for permission request form.
(f) This standard applies to the industry segments exempt from the 1 ppm 8-hour TWA and 5 ppm STEL of the benzene standard at 1910.1028.
(g) This standard applies to any operations or sectors for which the Cadmium standard, 1910.1027, is stayed or otherwise not in effect.
(h) This standard applies to any operations or sectors for which the exposure limit in the Chromium (VI) standard, Sec. 1910.1026, is stayed or is otherwise not in effect.
Abbreviations
- C = Ceiling limit
- Ca = Potential occupational carcinogens
- CAS No. = Chemical Abstract Service Number
- hr = hour
- m3 = cubic meters
- mg/m3= millilgram per cubic meter
- min = minutes
- ppm = parts per million
- IHL = Inhalable
- ST = Short Term Exposure Limit
- TWA = Time Weighted Average
- µg/m3 = microgram per cubic meter
References
ACGIH® 2014 Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances in the Work Environment. Adopted by ACGIH® with Intended Changes. See http://www.acgih.org/.
California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) Table AC-1, Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), in California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 8 Section 5155, last updated March 17, 2012. Viewable at http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5155table_ac1.html.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (2007) NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). September 2007. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-149. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-149/pdfs/2005-149.pdf.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (2006) Air Contaminants. 29 CFR 1910.1000 [71 FR 16673, April 3, 2006]. Web site accessed on January 30, 2012. Available at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9991.
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