| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Ding, Qian, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of occupational exposure limits in Asia and Europe
- 2011
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Ingår i: Toxicology Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-4274 .- 1879-3169. ; 205, s. S241-S241
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are used as a risk management tool aiming at protecting against negative health effects due to occupational exposure to harmful substances. The systems of OELs development have not been standardized and the divergent outcomes have been reported. However some harmonization process has been initiated, primary in Europe. This study aims at analysis of the state of harmonization in a more global context. The OELs systems of eight Asian and seventeen European organizations are analyzed with respect to: (1) the information regarding each organization's system for determining OELs; (2) similarity of substance selection in each system; (3) similarity of value levels of OEL. The analysis shows that the majority of investigated organizations declare to be influenced by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) systems, what in many cases is empirically confirmed. The EU harmonization process is also reflected in results showing the trends of convergence within the EU. However, the comparisons of Asian and European organisations indicate that there is no obvious evidence that OELs are becoming globally harmonized.
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| 3. |
- Ding, Qian, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational diseases in the People’s Republic of China between 2000 and 2010
- 2013
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Ingår i: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0271-3586 .- 1097-0274. ; 56:12, s. 1423-1432
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: This study provides a description and analysis of the development of occupational diseases in China as recorded in the official statistics during the period 2000-2010, identifies major challenges, and explores possible solutions for prevention and control. Methods: In-depth textual analysis and data analysis of China's annual national reports of occupational diseases, as well as of corresponding policy and regulation documents. Results: The number of recorded cases of occupational diseases increased rapidly in China between 2000 and 2010. Pneumoconiosis was the most prevalent category of occupational diseases. Chemical poisonings accounted for 13% of the cases of occupational diseases. Conclusions: Difficulties in diagnosis and inefficient surveillance are major impediments to the mitigation of occupational diseases. The new definition of occupational disease has provided an opportunity to enlarge the Catalogue of Occupational Diseases. Improved coordination of the different chemical regulations meant to protect human health may also facilitate the prevention of occupational disease.
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| 4. |
- Ding, Qian, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational exposure limits in Europe and Asia – Continued divergence or global harmonization?
- 2011
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Ingår i: Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 0273-2300 .- 1096-0295. ; 61:3, s. 296-309
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are used as a risk management tool aiming at protecting against negative health effects of occupational exposure to harmful substances. The systems of OEL development have not been standardized and divergent outcomes have been reported. However some harmonization processes have been initiated, primarily in Europe. This study investigates the state of harmonization in a global context. The OEL systems of eight Asian and seventeen European organizations are analyzed with respect to similarities and differences in: (1) the system for determining OELs, (2) the selection of substances, and (3) the levels of the OELs. The majority of the investigated organizations declare themselves to have been influenced by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), and in many cases this can be empirically confirmed. The EU harmonization process is reflected in trends towards convergence within the EU. However, comparisons of Asian and European organizations provide no obvious evidence that OELs are becoming globally harmonized.
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| 5. |
- Ding, Qian, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Setting Risk-Based Occupational Exposure Limits for Non-Threshold Carcinogens
- 2014
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Ingår i: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 20:5, s. 1329-1344
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several regulators have recently issued so-called risk-based occupational exposure limits for carcinogenic substances, and also reported estimates of the risk of fatality that exposure to the limit value would give rise to. This practice provides an opportunity to study how differences in the exposure limits set by different regulators are influenced by differences in the scientific judgment (what is the risk at different levels?) and in the policy judgment (how should large risks be accepted?). Based on a broad search, a list was compiled of exposure limits for carcinogens that the respective regulator associates with a numerical risk estimate. For benzene, such data was available from six regulators. The differences in estimates of the risk/exposure relationship and in risk tolerance were about equal in size for benzene, while the range for acceptability was somewhat wider. A similar pattern was observed, although less clearly, for substances with data from only two or three regulators. It is concluded that the science factor and the policy factor both contribute to differences in exposure limits for carcinogens. It was not possible to judge which of these two factors has the larger influence.
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| 6. |
- Enghag, Margareta, et al.
(författare)
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Nanoteknik och riskbedömning som nytt kunskapsinnehåll i gymnasiets naturvetenskapliga kurser – en designstudie
- 2016
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Ingår i: NorDiNa. - 1504-4556 .- 1894-1257. ; 12:2, s. 218-234
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nanoscience and nanotechnology (NST) is a rapidly developing knowledge area, which need incorporating in the school science curricula. The many uncertainties of risks and benefits with NST also open up for using NST as a socio-scientific issue (SSI). We present the two first iterations of a teaching sequence aimed for upper secondary school physics. The sequence contains content knowledge on NST and risk assessment and employs traditional classroom teaching, and a debate about NST as a SSI. The aims are to explore 1) students assessments of risks and benefits with NST, and 2) what design principles for teaching nanoscience and risk assessment that emerge as significant. We found that the risk assessment exercise stimulated student argumentation and discussion during the SSI debate. The teachers preferred to focus on the SSI activity, but found it challenging to fit NST content knowledge into the traditional teaching approach. Design principles found are discussed.
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| 7. |
- Enghag, Margareta, 1952-, et al.
(författare)
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Students’ arguments of risks and benefits in a debate about nanotechnology as a socioscientific issue included in a teaching sequence in secondary school
- 2016
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Ingår i: Electronic Proceedings of the ESERA 2015 Conference. - Helsinki : University of Helsinki. - 9789515115416 ; , s. 1191-1198
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report from the first iteration of a teaching sequence on nanoscience and nanotechnology (NST) in a Swedish secondary school science classroom. Twelve students, age 18, had seven lessons based on design principles of student ownership and talk space in the learning process. The study covers three areas: 1) the students’ learning of basic knowledge of NST, 2) their risk understanding of NST and 3) their ability to discuss NST as a socioscientific issue during a debate. The present paper focusses on a video recorded and transcribed final debate. In this debate students discussed NST as a socioscientific issue, identified risks and benefits in six different NST areas. These areas were selected from an online outreach activity and studied in groups of two. The debate showed that it is possible with only small resources and few lessons to introduce a discussion promoting climate in the classroom and that students can engage in qualified argumentation on NST. To further develop these aspects, we will add a lesson before the debate providing the students with tools for risk assessment and argumentation in coming iterations of this teaching sequence. Our analysis categorized the students into four groups by argument and decisive values indicating different degrees of risk averseness. These four groups share similarities with the argument–decisions found in earlier science education research. We conclude that students’ judgementof risks and benefits are based on knowledge from the studied course material, but that the decision made also includes personal values. In our continued research with this NST teaching sequence, we hope to find out if all these four groups could be found within each NST area which would indicate that these are general attitudes towards NST risks.
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| 8. |
- Hamza, Karim Mikael, 1967-, et al.
(författare)
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Nature of science in students’ discussions on disagreement between scientists following a narrative about health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi accident
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Science Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0950-0693 .- 1464-5289. ; 45:1, s. 22-42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We explored the potential for addressing nature of science through a historic narrative about disagreement between researchers concerning a socio-scientific issue, incidence of juvenile thyroid cancer following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. The narrative was developed from authentic sources and tested in two cycles. Eight groups of three to four high-school students were audio recorded. Transcripts were analyzed regarding what nature of science emerged in the discussions and what understanding about NOS could be discerned, using three complementary NOS-frameworks (Consensus-NOS, Whole Science-NOS, FRA-NOS). Together, the student groups touched upon 19 different NOS-themes as they tried to make sense of the disagreement related in the narrative. All groups addressed a common core of NOS-themes, most of which were central to the narrative itself, although some themes that were not part of the narrative also emerged. Students displayed a basic understanding of the tentative, empirical, and subjective nature of science together with the role of evidential relevance and completeness of evidence related to the choice of scientific methods. On the other hand, students did not reckon with peer review as a means for establishing knowledge and resolving disagreement. Moreover, although students readily accepted disagreement as a basic property of science, they had difficulty handling this disagreement when coping with the SSI in the narrative. We discuss how the combination of history of science-in-the-making and SSI in narrative form offers opportunities to teach NOS without risking simplified messages of how scientific knowledge develops or how science can be used to address socio-scientific issues.
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| 9. |
- Hansson, Sven Ove, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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Protection without Discrimination : Pregnancy and Occupational Health Regulations
- 2016
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Ingår i: European Journal of Risk Regulation. - : Lexxion Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. - 1867-299X .- 2190-8249. ; 7:2, s. 404-412
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Occupational exposures of pregnant workers can give rise to foetal damage. Two major types of strategies against detrimental effects on the foetus are described: differentiated protection that reduces only the exposure of pregnant workers (or only of female workers) and unified protection that reduces the exposure of all workers to a level that is sufficiently low to protect against detrimental effects on the foetus. The former strategy is shown to be inefficient, as it does not provide the desired protection. Protection only of pregnant workers is insufficient since protection is needed early in pregnancy when it is not known, and in the case of substances that are accumulated in the woman's body even prior to conception. Protection of all women is also insufficient to protect the foetus since evidence indicates that preconception exposure of the father can also give rise to malformations. Furthermore, differentiated protection that requires more costly protective measures for women tends to aggravate the already prevalent discrimination of women on the labour market. It is therefore concluded that unified protection is the only efficient and non-discriminatory strategy against foetal damage.
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| 10. |
- Jiang, Zheshun, et al.
(författare)
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Hexavalent chromium still a concern in Sweden : Evidence from a cross-sectional study within the SafeChrom project
- 2024
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Ingår i: International journal of hygiene and environmental health. - : Elsevier. - 1438-4639 .- 1618-131X. ; 256
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesHexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is classified as a human carcinogen. Occupational Cr(VI) exposure can occur during different work processes, but the current exposure to Cr(VI) at Swedish workplaces is unknown.MethodsThis cross-sectional study (SafeChrom) recruited non-smoking men and women from 14 companies with potential Cr(VI) exposure (n = 113) and controls from 6 companies without Cr(VI) exposure (n = 72). Inhalable Cr(VI) was measured by personal air sampling (outside of respiratory protection) in exposed workers. Total Cr was measured in urine (pre- and post-shift, density-adjusted) and red blood cells (RBC) (reflecting Cr(VI)) in exposed workers and controls. The Bayesian tool Expostats was used to assess risk and evaluate occupational exposure limit (OEL) compliance.ResultsThe exposed workers performed processing of metal products, steel production, welding, plating, and various chemical processes. The geometric mean concentration of inhalable Cr(VI) in exposed workers was 0.15 μg/m3 (95% confidence interval: 0.11–0.21). Eight of the 113 exposed workers (7%) exceeded the Swedish OEL of 5 μg/m3, and the Bayesian analysis estimated the share of OEL exceedances up to 19.6% for stainless steel welders. Median post-shift urinary (0.60 μg/L, 5th-95th percentile 0.10–3.20) and RBC concentrations (0.73 μg/L, 0.51–2.33) of Cr were significantly higher in the exposed group compared with the controls (urinary 0.10 μg/L, 0.06–0.56 and RBC 0.53 μg/L, 0.42–0.72). Inhalable Cr(VI) correlated with urinary Cr (rS = 0.64) and RBC-Cr (rS = 0.53). Workers within steel production showed the highest concentrations of inhalable, urinary and RBC Cr. Workers with inferred non-acceptable local exhaustion ventilation showed significantly higher inhalable Cr(VI), urinary and RBC Cr concentrations compared with those with inferred acceptable ventilation. Furthermore, workers with inferred correct use of respiratory protection were exposed to significantly higher concentrations of Cr(VI) in air and had higher levels of Cr in urine and RBC than those assessed with incorrect or no use. Based on the Swedish job-exposure-matrix, approximately 17 900 workers were estimated to be occupationally exposed to Cr(VI) today.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that some workers in Sweden are exposed to high levels of the non-threshold carcinogen Cr(VI). Employers and workers seem aware of Cr(VI) exposure, but more efficient exposure control strategies are required. National strategies aligned with the European strategies are needed in order to eliminate this cause of occupational cancer.
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| 11. |
- Jiang, Zheshun, et al.
(författare)
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P-205 THE SAFECHROM PROJECT - EVIDENCE FROM A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY SHOWS THAT HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM IS STILL A CONCERN IN SWEDEN
- 2024
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Ingår i: Occupational Medicine. - 0962-7480. ; 74:Suppl 1, s. 291-292
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is a human carcinogen, but the current exposure to Cr(VI) at Swedish workplaces is unknown.Recruitment of 113 workers with potential Cr(VI) exposure and 72 controls was combined with measurements of inhalable Cr(VI) (only exposed workers) and total Cr in urine and red blood cells (RBC), Bayesian analysis of occupational exposure limit (OEL) compliance was used, as well as the Swedish job-exposure-matrix.Exposed workers performed processing of metal products, steel production, welding, and plating. The geometric mean concentration of inhalable Cr(VI) in exposed workers was 0.15 μg/m3. Eight workers (7\ exceeded the Swedish OEL (5 μg/m3), and the share of OEL exceedances was estimated to be up to 19.6\ and RBC-Cr were significantly higher in exposed workers compared with controls. Workers with inferred non-acceptable local exhaustion ventilation showed significantly higher inhalable Cr(VI), urine- and RBC-Cr than those with acceptable ventilation. Workers with inferred correct use of respiratory protection had higher inhalable Cr(VI), and, paradoxically, higher urine- and RBC-Cr concentrations than workers with incorrect use. We estimate that ~17 900 Swedish workers are occupationally exposed to Cr(VI) today.Our study showed that although most air measurements were relatively low, 7\ and particularly stainless steel workers are at risk for exceeding the OEL. The existing protective measures implemented at workplaces are still inadequate and insufficient.Some workers in Sweden are exposed to high levels of the non-threshold carcinogen Cr(VI). National strategies aligned with European strategies are needed to eliminate occupational cancer.
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| 12. |
- Johanson, G., et al.
(författare)
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A scoping review of evaluations of and recommendations for default uncertainty factors in human health risk assessment
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Toxicology. - : Wiley. - 0260-437X .- 1099-1263. ; 43:1, s. 186-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Uncertainty factors (UFs) are used to account for uncertainties and variability when setting exposure limits or guidance values. Starting from a proposal of a single UF of 100 to extrapolate from an animal NOAEL to a human acceptable exposure, the aspects of uncertainty and number of UFs have diversified and today there are several risk assessment guidelines that contain schemes of default UFs of varying complexity. In the present work, we scoped the scientific literature on default UFs to map developments regarding recommendations and evaluations of these. We identified 91 publications making recommendations for one or several UFs and 55 publications evaluating UFs without making explicit recommendations about numerical values; these were published between 1954 and 2021. The 2000s was the decade with the largest number of publications, interspecies differences and intraspecies variability being the most frequent topics. The academic sector has been the most active (76 out of 146 publications). Authors from the private sector more often presented UF recommendations, but differences between sectors regarding size of recommendations were not statistically significant. The empirical underpinning of the reviewed recommendations ranges from four to 462 chemicals, that is, relatively low numbers compared with the range of chemicals these default UFs are expected to cover. The recommended UFs have remained remarkably constant, with merely a slight decrease over time. Although chemical specific UFs are preferable, the widespread use of default UFs warrants further attention regarding their empirical and normative basis.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Johansson, Mia K. V., et al.
(författare)
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Does industry take the susceptible subpopulation of asthmatic individuals into consideration when setting derived no-effect levels?
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Toxicology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0260-437X .- 1099-1263. ; 36:11, s. 1379-1391
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease, can be aggravated by exposure to certain chemical irritants. The objectives were first to investigate the extent to which experimental observations on asthmatic subjects are taken into consideration in connection with the registration process under the EU REACH regulation, and second, to determine whether asthmatics are provided adequate protection by the derived no-effect levels (DNELs) for acute inhalation exposure. We identified substances for which experimental data on the pulmonary functions of asthmatics exposed to chemicals under controlled conditions are available. The effect concentrations were then compared with DNELs and other guideline and limit values. As of April 2015, only 2.6% of 269 classified irritants had available experimental data on asthmatics. Fourteen of the 22 identified substances with available data were fully registered under REACH and we retrieved 114 reliable studies related to these. Sixty-three of these studies, involving nine of the 14 substances, were cited by the REACH registrants. However, only 17 of the 114 studies, involving four substances, were regarded as key studies. Furthermore, many of the DNELs for acute inhalation were higher than estimated effect levels for asthmatics, i.e., lowest observed adverse effect concentrations or no-observed adverse effect concentrations, indicating low or no safety margin. We conclude that REACH registrants tend to disregard findings on asthmatics when deriving these DNELs. In addition, we found examples of DNELs, particularly among those derived for workers, which likely do not provide adequate protection for asthmatics. Copyright (c) 2016 The Authors Journal of Applied Toxicology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. We investigate the extent to which experimental observations on asthmatic subjects are taken into consideration by REACH registrants and determine whether asthmatics are provided adequate protection by the acute inhalation Derived No-Effect Levels. Of 114 studies concerning 14 substances fulfilling our inclusion criteria, 63 studies, involving nine substances, were cited by the REACH registrants. However, only 17 of the 114 studies, involving four substances, were regarded as key studies. Furthermore, many of the Derived No-Effect Levels were higher than Lowest- or No-Observed Adverse Effect Concentrations values from these studies.
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| 15. |
- Karlsson, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Undergraduate Students' Risk Perception and Argumentation Concerning Nanomaterials in Consumer Products
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Nano Education. - : American Scientific Publishers. - 1936-7457 .- 1936-7449. ; 6:1, s. 50-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present paper we combine two analytical frameworks in order to extend our understanding of how students reason about a socio-scientific issue, namely, nanomaterials in consumer products. Using the results from two focus group discussions including seven students each, we first thematically explored undergraduate engineering students' risk perception. Two main themes were found in this analysis: "Exploring the concept of nanotechnology" and "Handling risks with nanotechnology." Second, we analyzed the nature of students' arguments using the SEE-SEP model, which is a coding scheme based on the subject areas Sociology/Culture, Environment, Economy, Science, Ethics/Morality, and Policy, intertwining the three aspects Knowledge, Values, and Personal experience. According to this analysis, 55% of the participants' arguments were based on values, 25% on knowledge, and 20% on personal experiences. Despite the absence of specific knowledge, however, the students could conduct a complex argumentation about nanomaterials and actively examined the paradox of new opportunities but unresolved risks. The students' reasoning reveals that arguments in favor and arguments against the use of nanomaterials in different products do not cross each other out, but co-exist. The results indicate that the risk perception was influenced to some degree by the area of use, such as skin care products or car treatment. It was also found that when lacking specific knowledge, our participants turned to analogies to other technology developments. Implications for education on nanotechnology are discussed.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Lundegård, Iann, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Facts and values in students’ reasoning about gene technology in the frame of risk–a thick comprehension
- 2022
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Ingår i: Environmental Education Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1350-4622 .- 1469-5871. ; 28:9, s. 1283-1296
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the current debate, there is no consensus on the relationship between knowledge and values in students’ reasoning and argumentation in socio-scientific and sustainability issues, i.e. if these should be addressed as separate entities or rather treated as a whole. In this study, we address this question empirically, with students engaging in two language games–aesthetic and epistemological–as they deliberate on ethical issues associated with genetic engineering. The study reports on a course unit that includes lectures, group work and student-led value-clarification exercises. The ways in which the language games interact were analysed using the established methods of Practical Epistemology Analysis (PEA) and analysis of Deliberative Educational Questions (DEQ). Our results show that aesthetic and epistemological language games were intricately intertwined in the students’ reasoning. Given this close entanglement, each language game was conducive to the development of the other and in so doing, deepened the understanding of the content as a whole.
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| 18. |
- Petimar, Joshua, et al.
(författare)
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A Pooled Analysis of 15 Prospective Cohort Studies on the Association between Fruit, Vegetable, and Mature Bean Consumption and Risk of Prostate Cancer.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 26:8, s. 1276-1287
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Relationships between fruit, vegetable, and mature bean consumption and prostate cancer risk are unclear.Methods: We examined associations between fruit and vegetable groups, specific fruits and vegetables, and mature bean consumption and prostate cancer risk overall, by stage and grade, and for prostate cancer mortality in a pooled analysis of 15 prospective cohorts, including 52,680 total cases and 3,205 prostate cancer-related deaths among 842,149 men. Diet was measured by a food frequency questionnaire or similar instrument at baseline. We calculated study-specific relative risks using Cox proportional hazards regression, and then pooled these estimates using a random effects model.Results: We did not observe any statistically significant associations for advanced prostate cancer or prostate cancer mortality with any food group (including total fruits and vegetables, total fruits, total vegetables, fruit and vegetable juice, cruciferous vegetables, and tomato products), nor specific fruit and vegetables. In addition, we observed few statistically significant results for other prostate cancer outcomes. Pooled multivariable relative risks comparing the highest versus lowest quantiles across all fruit and vegetable exposures and prostate cancer outcomes ranged from 0.89 to 1.09. There was no evidence of effect modification for any association by age or body mass index.Conclusions: Results from this large, international, pooled analysis do not support a strong role of collective groupings of fruits, vegetables, or mature beans in prostate cancer.Impact: Further investigation of other dietary exposures, especially indicators of bioavailable nutrient intake or specific phytochemicals, should be considered for prostate cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(8); 1276-87. ©2017 AACR.
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| 19. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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A quantitative comparison of the safety margins in the European indicative occupational exposure limits and the derived no-effect levels for workers under REACH
- 2011
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Ingår i: Toxicological Sciences. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1096-6080 .- 1096-0929. ; 121:2, s. 408-416
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The new European Union (EU) REACH legislation requires Derived No-Effect Levels (DNEL) to be calculated for substances produced in quantities above 10 tonnes/year. Meanwhile, the setting of occupational exposure limits (OEL) continues both at the member state and the EU level. According to REACH, Indicative OEL Values (IOELVs) from the Commission may under some circumstances be used as worker-DNELs. On the other hand, worker-DNELs will be derived for several thousand substances, far more than the roughly 100 substances for which IOELVs have been established. Thus, the procedure to set health-based OELs may become influential on that of DNELs and vice versa. In this study, we compare the safety margins of 88 SCOEL recommendations with those of the corresponding worker-DNELs, derived according to the default approach as described in the REACH guidance document. Overall, the REACH safety margins were approximately six times higher than those derived from the SCOEL documentation but varied widely with REACH/SCOEL safety margin ratios ranging by two orders of magnitude, from 0.3 to 58 (n=88). The discrepancies may create confusion in terms of legal compliance, risk management and risk communication. We also found that the REACH guidance document, although encompassing detailed advice on many issues, including default assessment factors for species and route extrapolation, gives no quantitative guidance on when and how to depart from defaults.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Are occupational exposure limits becoming more alike within the European Union?
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Toxicology. - : Wiley InterScience. - 0260-437X .- 1099-1263. ; 28:7, s. 858-866
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The occupational exposure limits (OELs) established by seven different national regulatory agencies of EU member states are compared with those of the European Commission (EC). The comparison concerned: (1) what chemicals have been selected, (2) the average level of exposure limits for all chemicals, and (3) the similarity between the OELs of different EU member states and the OELs recommended by the European Commission. The average level of the exposure limits has declined during the past 10 years in four of the live countries in our study for which historical data were available to us. Poland has not changed its level noticeably and Germany has increased it. Since the first list of indicative OELs was established by the EC, a few of the EU exposure limits have been lowered. The similarity index indicates that the exposure limits of EU member states are converging towards the European Commission's recommended OELs. Still, the average level of OELs differs between organizations - the Estonian OELs are on average 35% higher than the Polish OELs.
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| 22. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Are occupational exposure limits still an effective tool for chemicals risk management at the work place?
- 2010
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Ingår i: Toxicology Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-4274 .- 1879-3169. ; 196, s. S101-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chemicals in the occupational setting are well known to pose a variety of health risks to workers, and are accordingly subject to risk management measures. In Sweden, as well as many other countries, occupational exposure limits (OELs) are presented as an important tool for managing chemical risks. However, measurements to ensure compliance with OELs have decreased significantly and the question is to what extent the OELs still perform their function, and through which mechanisms. By performing interviews at a number of different workplaces in Sweden, that handle chemicals, we will try to identify regulatory, social and organizational factors that influence the risk perception and communication at workplaces and also investigate the role played by OELs in these processes. Previous research on risk management at the workplace has often been focused on physical risks or accident prevention. We believe that the management, communication and perception of chemical risks differ significantly in their nature from most physical risks, since exposures to harmful chemicals generally lead to delayed and unpredictable effects and individuals tend to estimate risks with delayed effects lower than if the consequences are immediate.
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| 23. |
- Schenk, Linda
(författare)
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Awareness and understanding of occupational exposure limits in Sweden
- 2013
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Ingår i: Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0273-2300 .- 1096-0295. ; 65:3, s. 304-310
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The efficiency of a risk management tool, such as occupational exposure limits (OELs), partly depends on the responsible parties' awareness and understanding of it. The aim of this study was to measure the awareness and understanding of OELs at Swedish workplaces and to collect opinions on their use and function. Through a web-based questionnaire targeting workers that are exposed to air pollutants or chemicals, and persons working with occupational health and safety or in management at workplaces where workers are exposed to air pollutants or chemicals 1017 responses were collected. The results show that awareness and understanding of Swedish OELs is low among workers, as well as managers and occupational health and safety employees. Statistically significant, but small, differences were found depending on the size of the company and the position in the company. Based on the results, it is recommended that authorities and the social partners target this lack of awareness and understanding regarding OELs. Also, other tools to ascertain a safe working environment with regards to chemicals exposure might be useful for Swedish workplaces.
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| 24. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Comparing the safety margins in the European indicative occupational exposure limits and the derived no-effect levels under reach
- 2011
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Ingår i: Toxicology Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-4274 .- 1879-3169. ; 205, s. S268-S268
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The new European Union (EU) REACH legislation requires Derived No-Effect Levels (DNEL) to be calculated for substances produced in quantities above 10 tonnes/year. Workers are one population that these DNELs are to protect. Meanwhile, the setting of occupational exposure limits (OEL) continues both at the member state and the EU level. Health-based OELs are proposed by the Commission's Scientific Committee on OELs (SCOEL) and eventually result in Indicative OEL Values (IOELV) in EU Directives. According to REACH, IOELVs may under some circumstances be used as worker-DNELs. On the other hand, worker-DNELs will be derived for several thousand substances, far more than the roughly 100 substances for which IOELVs have been established. Thus, the procedure to set health-based OELs may become influential on that of DNELs and vice versa. This study presents a comparison of the safety margins of 88 SCOEL recommendations with those of the corresponding worker-DNELs, derived according to the REACH guidance document. Overall, the REACH safety margins were approximately six times higher than those derived from the SCOEL documentation but varied widely with REACH/SCOEL ratios ranging by two orders of magnitude, from 0.3 to 58. It was also found that the REACH guidance document, although encompassing detailed advice on many issues, including default assessment factors for species and route extrapolation, gives no quantitative guidance on when and how to depart from defaults.
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| 25. |
- Schenk, Linda
(författare)
-
Comparison of Data Used for Setting Occupational Exposure Limits
- 2010
-
Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - : Maney Publishing. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 16:3, s. 249-262
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has previously been shown that occupational exposure limits (OELs) for the same substance can vary significantly between different standard-setters. The work presented in this paper identifies the steps in the process towards establishing an OEL and how variations in those processes could account for these differences. This study selects for further scrutiny substances for which the level of OELs vary by a factor of 100, focussing on 45 documents concerning 14 substances from eight standard-setters. Several of the OELs studied were more than 20 years old and based on outdated knowledge. Furthermore, different standard-setters sometimes based their OELs on different sets of data, and data availability alone could not explain all differences in the selection of data sets used by standard-setters. While the interpretation of key studies did not differ significantly in standard-setters' documentations, the evaluations of the key studies' quality did. Also, differences concerning the critical effect coincided with differences in the level of OELs for half of the substances.
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| 26. |
- Schenk, Linda
(författare)
-
Comparison of Data Used for Setting Occupational Exposure Limits
- 2010
-
Ingår i: International journal of occupational and environmental health. - 1077-3525 .- 2049-3967. ; 16:3, s. 249-262
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has previously been shown that occupational exposure limits (OELs) for the same substance can vary significantly between different standard-setters. The work presented in this paper identifies the steps in the process towards establishing an OEL and how variations in those processes could account for these differences. This study selects for further scrutiny substances for which the level of OELs vary by a factor of 100, focussing on 45 documents concerning 14 substances from eight standard-setters. Several of the OELs studied were more than 20 years old and based on outdated knowledge. Furthermore, different standard-setters sometimes based their OELs on different sets of data, and data availability alone could not explain all differences in the selection of data sets used by standard-setters. While the interpretation of key studies did not differ significantly in standard-setters' documentations, the evaluations of the key studies' quality did. Also, differences concerning the critical effect coincided with differences in the level of OELs for half of the substances.
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| 27. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
-
Covert chemicals, tangible trust : Risk management of chemicals in the workplace
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Policy and Practice in Health and Safety. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1477-3996 .- 1477-4003. ; 12:1, s. 91-106
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Sweden, as in other industrialised nations, occupational exposure limits are considered to be an important tool for chemical risk management, although many other factors also play a role in occupational safety and health management. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of occupational exposure limits in relation to information about, and the risk perception of, chemicals. An interview study was performed at four Swedish process industry workplaces in order to investigate these issues. For each workplace, the range of informants covered at least one person who spent most of their working time in the production process; one person in a managerial position; one person in the site health, safety and environment department; the main safety ombudsman; and the site manager. The results show that informants' understanding of occupational exposure limits and their use is quite poor, although they do understand that there is epistemic uncertainty in determining the toxicological effects of hazardous substances. The risk perception and safety behaviour of the informants were not affected by the occupational exposure limits, nor did occupational exposure limits have any role as sources of information. Nevertheless, almost all the informants expressed the view that occupational exposure limits are trusted and needed; safety engineers and main safety ombudsmen, generally, also added that occupational exposure limits are useful. What was found to be most important factor for the informants' perception of risk and safety was trust in specific people, often established through long-term relationships.
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| 28. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
-
Derived No-effect Levels (DNELs) under the European Chemicals Regulation REACH-An Analysis of Long-term Inhalation Worker-DNELs Presented by Industry
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 59:4, s. 416-438
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European REACH regulation places responsibility for providing safety information, including derived no-effect levels (DNELs), on chemicals and chemical products on 'industry', i.e. manufacturers and importers. We compared long-term inhalation worker-DNELs (wDNELs) presented by industry with the corresponding Swedish occupational exposure limits (OELs), and for a subset, with wDNELs derived by us. Our wDNELs were derived using toxicological evaluations published by the Swedish Criteria Group and our interpretation of the REACH Guidance. On average, industry's wDNELs were the same as the Swedish OELs (median of wDNEL-OEL ratios: 0.98, n = 235). However, the variation was huge, the extremes being up to 450 times higher, and up to 230 times lower than the corresponding OEL. Nearly one-fifth of the wDNELs were = 2 times higher and one-third = 2 times lower than the OEL. No time trend was seen in the wDNEL/OEL ratios, suggesting that older OELs were not systematically higher than the more recent ones. Industry's wDNELs varied widely and were generally higher (median 4.2 times, up to 435 times higher, down to 13 times lower, n = 23) also compared to our wDNELs. Only five industry wDNELs were equal to or lower than ours. The choices of key studies, dose descriptors, and assessment factors all seemed to contribute to the discrepancies. We conclude that although the REACH guidance is detailed, many choices that will influence the wDNEL lack firm instructions. A major problem is that little advice is given on when and how to depart from default assessment factors.
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| 29. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
-
Exposures to lead during urban combat training
- 2021
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. - : Elsevier BV. - 1438-4639 .- 1618-131X. ; 235
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lead exposure is still a major concern for occupations that regularly train or work with firearms, such as law enforcement and military personnel. Due to the increasing number of women of fertile age in such professions, there is a strong incentive to monitor lead exposures during firearms training. Personal air sampling was performed during two sessions of a nine-day urban combat training (UCT) course for cadets in the Swedish Armed Forces, one session employing leaded ammunition (leaded scenario) and one session employing unleaded ammunition (unleaded scenario). Blood lead levels (BLLs) were measured before and after the course for 42 cadets and five instructors. During the leaded scenario, the instructors' airborne exposure (geometric mean, GM, 72.0 μg/m3) was higher than that of cadets (GM 42.9 μg/m3). During the unleaded scenario, airborne concentrations were similar for instructors and cadets and considerably lower than during the leaded scenario (GM 2.9 μg/m3). Despite comparably low external lead exposures during the course, we saw a statistically significant increase in systemic exposure for cadets (BLL GM increased from 1.09 to 1.71 μg/dL, p < 0.001). For the five instructors, notable differences were seen depending on task.The largest increase was seen for the two instructors performing close supervision during the leaded scenario (BLL GM increased from 2.41 μg/dL to 4.83 μg/dL). For the remaining three instructors the BLLs were unchanged (BLL GMs were 1.25 μg/dL before the course and 1.26 μg/dL after). None of the participants exceeded the applicable biological exposure limits, but extrapolating our findings shows that instructors in the leaded scenario may reach levels around 10 μg/dL after a year of repeated exposures. We conclude that comparably low airborne concentrations can contribute to the body burden of lead and that additional measures to reduce exposure are warranted, particularly for instructors.
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| 30. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
How consistent are the Derived No-Effect Levels (DNELs) in the European REACH legislation?
- 2013
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The new European REACH regulation places more responsibility than hitherto on manufacturers and importers of chemicals (“industry”) to provide safety information. An important part of the development of a REACH Chemical Safety Report is derivation of Derived No-Effect Levels (DNELs) which represent “the level of exposure above which humans should not be exposed”. In order to study the consistency, we compared DNELs presented by industry at the website of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) with those derived by us in our interpretation of the REACH guidance (Chapter R.8: Characterisation of dose [concentration]-response for human health, http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13632/information_requirements_r8_en.pdf). There are various DNELs, e.g. representing short-term, long-term, inhalation and dermal exposure, as well as workers and the whole population. We limited our study to “worker-DNELs long-term” for inhalation route as they resemble occupational exposure limits (OELs). We found 24 substances for which (1) such DNELs were given in the ECHA chemical database (http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/information-on-chemicals/registered-substances) and (2) a scientific basis for OEL had been published by the Swedish Criteria Group within the last 15 years in the serial Arbete och Hälsa (https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/3194?locale=en). The results were startling, as the DNELs given by industry were 2.4 to 1,100 times higher than ours for 23 substances and 260,000 times higher for trimellitic anhydride. Some of the discrepancy is explained by different choice of key studies/points of departure (PODs). However, the choice of assessment factors (AFs) also differed markedly, as industry’s total AFs (calculated implicitly from the POD and the DNEL) were 1-230 times lower than ours. We conclude that although the REACH guidance is relatively detailed, many arbitrary choices remain that will influence the DNEL. A major problem is that little advice is given on when and how to depart from default AFs.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
-
Implementation of the chemicals regulation REACH : Exploring the impact on occupational health and safety management among Swedish downstream users
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Safety Science. - : Elsevier. - 0925-7535 .- 1879-1042. ; 80, s. 233-242
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present study we have examined how the European chemicals regulation Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) has influenced occupational risk management of chemicals at Swedish downstream user companies. The data were collected through interviews with occupational health and safety professionals, safety representatives and authority employees. The results show that most of the informants had scarce knowledge about REACH and that REACH implementation has not had any major impacts on downstream users’ occupational risk management, but the impacts the regulation has had were perceived as positive. For instance, clear substance identification and increased hazard information were appreciated improvements of safety data sheets (SDS). However, with regards to identifying how to safely use a substance or product neither the SDSs nor the attached exposure scenarios were perceived as sufficient. REACH was not perceived as a major driver for substitution but has had some impact on substitution, either by requiring it for certain substances as through the authorisation procedure or facilitating the identification of relevant substances to substitute as more information on hazards has become available. The obstacles to REACH implementation are similar to those of occupational health and safety legislation; lack of awareness, understanding and/or incentives to take action. Especially smaller companies with their limited resources lag behind. Reaching the full potential of REACH requires more work on motivating and supporting downstream users to fulfil their REACH obligations.
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| 33. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
Industry Derived Occupational Exposure Limits : A Survey of Professionals on the Dutch System of Exposure Guidelines
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Annals of Work Exposures and Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 2398-7308 .- 2398-7316. ; 63:9, s. 1004-1012
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Netherlands' system for occupational exposure limits (OELs) encompasses two kinds of OELs: public and private. Public OELs are set by the government. Private OELs are derived by industry and cover all substances without a public OEL. In parallel, the regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) has introduced an exposure guidance value similar to the OEL, namely the Derived No-Effect Level (DNEL) for workers' inhalation exposure. This study aimed to investigate issues encountered by occupational health professionals regarding private OELs, and how they perceive the DNELs for workers in relation to private OELs. Towards this aim, we sent out a web-based questionnaire to the members of the Dutch professional organization for occupational hygienists (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Arbeidshygiene [NVVA], n = 513) and to members of the Dutch professional organization for safety engineers (NVVK, n = 2916). Response rates were 27% (n = 139) and 7% (n = 198), respectively. More occupational hygienists (59%) than safety engineers (17%) reported to derive private OELs themselves. Our respondents reported several challenges with the derivation of private OELs. Fifty-one percent of the occupational hygienists and 20% of the safety engineers stated to see a role of REACH Registrants' worker DNELs as private OELs. However, more than half of our respondents were undecided or unfamiliar with worker DNELs. In addition, stated opinions on where worker DNELs fit in the hierarchy of private OELs varied considerably. To conclude, both these professional groups derive private OELs and stated that they need more guidance for this. Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity whether worker DNELs may qualify as private OELs, and where they would fit in the hierarchy of private OELs.
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| 34. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
Management of bias and conflict of interest among occupational exposure limit expert groups
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0273-2300 .- 1096-0295. ; 123
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our aim was to evaluate policies and procedures for management of conflict of interest (CoI) and other sources of bias, implemented in Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) expert groups. First, we compiled procedural criteria applicable to OEL-setting, based on literature on CoI and systematic reviews. Second, we identified 58 global OEL-sources and sought the underlying expert groups and operating procedures. We identified eleven active groups, of which five have documented CoI policies. In all five, CoI management is based on declarations of interests (DoIs) and removal of experts from decisions in which they have an interest. Notable differences include publication of DoIs (three of five groups), limitation of DoI to current interests (two groups), quantitative limits for financial interests (none specified to ≥€10,000 per interest), control procedures for undisclosed CoI (one group), and procedures in case of discovery of undisclosed CoI (three groups). Methods to evaluate study quality are described by three groups, while reproducible and comprehensive strategies to identify and select data receive less attention. We conclude that procedures to manage CoI and bias are not broadly implemented, or at least not openly and transparently communicated. This lack of visible procedures is remarkable, considering OEL's impact on health and economy.
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| 35. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-
(författare)
-
Management of chemical risk through occupational exposure limits
- 2009
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) are used as an important regulatory instrument to protect workers’ health from adverse effects of chemical exposures. The OELs mirror the outcome of the risk assessment and risk management performed by the standard setting actor. In paper I the OELs established by 18 different organisations or national regulatory agencies from the industrialised world were compared. The comparison concerned: (1) what chemicals have been selected and (2) the average level of exposure limits for all chemicals. In paper II the OELs established by 7 different national regulatory agencies of EU member states are compared to those of the European Commission (EC). In addition to the same comparisons as performed in the first study a comparison level was introduced (3) the similarity between the OELs of these EU member states and the OELs recommended by the EC. List of OELs were collected through the web-pages of, and e-mail communication with the standard-setting agencies. The selection of agencies was determined by availability of the lists. The database of paper I contains OELs for a total of 1341 substances; of these 25 substances have OELs from all 18 organisations while more than one third of the substances are only regulated by one organisation alone. In paper II this database was narrowed down to the European perspective. The average level of OELs differs substantially between organisations; the US OSHA exposure limits are (on average) nearly 40 % higher than those of Poland. Also within Europe there was a nearly as large difference. The average level of lists tends to decrease over time, although there are exceptions to this. The similarity index in paper II indicates that the exposure limits of EU member states are converging towards the European Commission’s recommended OELs. These two studies also showed that OELs for the same substance can vary significantly between different standard-setters. The work presented in paper III identifies steps in the risk assessment that could account for these differences. Substances for which the level of OELs vary by a factor of 100 or more were identified and their documentation sought for further scrutiny. Differences in the identification of the critical effect could explain the different level of the OELs for half of the substances. The results reported in paper III also confirm the tendency of older OELs generally being higher. Furthermore, several OELs were more than 30 years old and were based on out-dated knowledge. But the age of the data review could not account for all the differences in data selection, only one fifth of the documents referred to all available key studies. Also the evaluation of the key studies varied significantly.
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| 36. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
-
Occupational Exposure Limits : A Comparative Study
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 0273-2300 .- 1096-0295. ; 50:2, s. 261-270
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are used as an important regulatory instrument to protect workers' health from adverse effects of chemical exposures. The OELs mirror the outcome of the risk assessment and risk management performed by the standard setting actor. In this study we compared the OELs established by 18 different organisations or national regulatory agencies. The OELs were compared with respect to: (1) what chemicals have been selected and (2) the average level of exposure limits for all chemicals. Our database contains OELs for a total of 1341 substances; of these 25 substances have OELs from all 18 organisations while more than one-third of the substances are only regulated by one organisation. The average level of the exposure limits has declined during the past 10 years for 6 of the 8 organisations in our study for which historical data were available; it has increased for Poland and remained nearly unchanged for Sweden. The average level of OELs differs substantially between organisations; the US OSHA exposure limits are (on average) nearly 40 % higher than those of Poland. The scientific or policy-related motivations for these differences remain to be analysed.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-
(författare)
-
Occupational Exposure Limits in Comparative Perspective : Unity and Diversity Within the European Union
- 2010. - 1
-
Ingår i: Regulating Chemical Risks. - Dordrecht : Springer. - 9789048194278 - 9789048194285 ; , s. 133-150
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This is a book about the regulation of chemical risks; this chapter specifically concerns the regulation of chemicals in the occupational setting. People are exposed to a variety of chemicals during their life; some are to our knowledge not harmful while others are. Working life may be a major contributor to a person’s accumulated chemical exposure. A number of diseases have been related to the occurrence of harmful substances in the occupational setting, for instance asthma, allergies and several forms of cancer. One can conclude that the risks associated with chemicals exposure and their regulation in the work place is well worth scientific scrutiny. Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are limits of concentrations of specific substances in the air, averaged over a period of time. The rationale behind OELs is that if the dosage of a chemical is sufficiently low, no or acceptably low adverse health effects will arise. The dose–response relationship differs of course with the different inherent traits of the specific chemical. For some chemicals evidence suggests that a negative health effect only occurs above a certain level of exposure, this means that a safe level exposure is possible to achieve. For many chemicals this is not the case though, either there is not enough knowledge to derive a no effect level (NOAEL), if such one does indeed exist, or there is in fact a linear dose–response relationship without any threshold. In the latter case low-level exposure might only lead to very low individual risks but if many persons are exposed the collective exposure result in substantial population effects.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-
(författare)
-
Risk perception and its foundation among Swedish individuals occupationally exposed to air pollutants and chemicals : A comparison of 1975 and 2011
- 2013
-
Ingår i: ISRN Public Health. - : Hindawi Publishing Corporation. - 2090-8008. ; 2013, s. 469714-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although work environment conditions have improved much in the last decades, occupational exposures to chemicals and air pollutants still cause adverse health effects. The risk perception of occupational exposures to hazardous substances and the motivations for it have been investigated through a questionnaire study. These results have also been compared to previous studies performed by the largest trade union confederation in Sweden in 1975. In the current survey, 30% of the respondents believe to be at risk, 48% not, and 22% state to be unsure. The proportion of persons experiencing to be at risk due to exposures to chemicals or air pollution at work is unexpectedly similar to that of 1975. The explanations offered for the risk perception were in many cases vague and of a subjective nature, but again results are similar to those of 1975. References to more solid justifications such as performed exposure measurements or medical health checks are scarce, with the latter case being as scarce today as in 1975. There are only a few indications that a more systematic management of work environment issues has developed at Swedish workplaces; for instance, managers were more commonly stated as a source of information in 2011 than in 1975.
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
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| 43. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-
(författare)
-
Setting occupational exposure limits : Practices and outcomes of toxicological risk assessment
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) are used as an important regulatory instrument to protect workers’ health from adverse effects of chemical exposures. The main objective of this thesis is to study risk assessment practices in the setting of OEL in order to produce knowledge that will help improve the consistency and transparency of OELs.For the purpose of paper I a database of OELs for a total of 1341 substances was compiled. Of these, only 25 substances have OELs from all 18 included organisations while more than one third of the substances are only regulated by one organisation alone. The average level of OELs differs substantially between organisations; the US OSHA exposure limits are (on average) nearly 40 % higher than those of Poland.In paper II six EU member states’ OELs are compared to the European Commission’s OELs. Also within Europe there is a large difference concerning the average level of OELs (35%). The average level of lists tends to decrease over time, although there are exceptions to this. There are also indications that the exposure limits of EU member states are converging towards the European Commission’s OELs.The work presented in paper III identifies steps in the risk assessment that could account for the large differences in OELs for 14 different substances. Differences in the identification of the critical effect could explain the different level of the OELs for half of the substances. But the age of the data review could not account for all the differences in data selection, only one fifth of the documents referred to all available key studies. Also the evaluation of the key studies varied significantly.The aim of paper IV was to investigate how the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) of the European Commission uses assessment factors when proposing health-based indicative OELs. For only one third of the investigated OELs were explicit assessment factors given. On average the safety margin of the recommendations was 2.1 higher when an explicit assessment factor had been used. It is recommended that the SCOEL develop and adhere to a more articulate framework on the use of assessment factors.Paper V focuses on the Derived No-Effect Levels (DNELs) which are to be calculated under the new European Union REACH legislation. It is a comparison of the safety margins of 88 SCOEL recommendations with those of the corresponding worker-DNELs, derived according to the default approach as described in the REACH guidance document. Overall, the REACH safety margins were approximately six times higher than those derived from the SCOEL documentations but varied widely with REACH/SCOEL safety margin ratios ranging by two orders of magnitude, from 0.3 to 58.
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| 44. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
Socioscientific Issues in Science Education : An opportunity to Incorporate Education about Risk and Risk Analysis?
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Risk Analysis. - : Wiley. - 0272-4332 .- 1539-6924. ; 41:12, s. 2209-2219
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Socioscientific issues (SSI) concern social issues, often lacking simple solutions, that relate to science and often also risk controversies. SSIs have become an established part of science education, aiming to teach students not only about content knowledge but also about the nature of science and to offer them practice in argumentation and decision making. We performed a scoping review of the literature on SSI in science education research, in order to investigate if the topics covered would lean themselves to education about risk, and if risk is raised in these works. Using Web of Science we identified 296 empirical publications and 91 theoretical or review publications about SSI teaching in science education. The empirical publications covered studies performed in primary to tertiary school, most commonly upper secondary school (32%). The most frequently taught SSI themes were nature conservation, biotechnology, and climate change. Despite that these, as most of the other identified themes, clearly are connected to risk analysis and risk management, few publications raised the concept of risk and the methods of risk analysis. In fact, almost half (empirical: 48%, theoretical: 49%) did not mention risk at all. We argue that SSIs present an opportunity for risk researchers to engage with educators to incorporate risk in school science education and to contribute in developing teaching materials suitable toward that aim.
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| 45. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
Teaching and discussing about risk : seven elements of potential significance for science education
- 2019
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Science Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0950-0693 .- 1464-5289. ; 41:9, s. 1271-1286
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present paper takes its point of departure in risk being a relevant content for science education, and that there are many different approaches to how to incorporate it. By reviewing the academic literature on the use and definitions of risk from fields such as engineering, linguistics and philosophy, we identified key elements of the risk concept relevant for science education. Risk is a phenomenon of the future that may be conveyed by our activity, it is something that may or may not take place. Hence, at the core of risk we find uncertainty and consequence. Furthermore, the elements of probability and severity are relevant modifiers of the consequence, as well as both subject to uncertainty. Additionally, in framing, understanding and decision-making on risk, as individuals or society, we need to acknowledge that risk has both objective and subjective components, lying in the interface between knowledge and values. In this paper, we describe how these key elements were derived from the literature and derive a schematic model of the risk concept for the purpose of science education. We further discuss how this model may assist in planning, execution and evaluation of teaching activities explicitly or implicitly involving risk issues.
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
- Schenk, Linda, et al.
(författare)
-
Throwing the Baby Out with the Bath Water? : Occupational Hygienists Views on the Revised Dutch System for Occupational Exposure Limits
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0003-4878 .- 1475-3162. ; 57:5, s. 581-592
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2007, the Dutch Working Conditions Act was revised with the goal to decrease the regulatory burden, and to open up for company-specific solutions of establishing a safe and healthy work environment. One tool geared towards company-specific solutions is the compilation of the Arbocatalogs, which are company or sector-level collections of safe working methods and guidelines developed both by employers and employees. The revision also introduced a new occupational exposure limit (OEL) system in the Netherlands. This system encompasses two kinds of OELs: private and public. Private OELs are to be derived by the industry, while public OELs are issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. With this change, the majority of the previously set Dutch OELs were removed, as the substances in question now are falling under the private realm. The motivations, expectations, and practical impacts of these revisions have been investigated through interviews with stakeholder organizations and a questionnaire study targeted at occupational hygienists. The questionnaire results show that although the Arbocatalogs seem to be relatively well received, a majority of the Dutch occupational hygienists are still relatively negative to the changes. There is a fear that private OELs will be less scientifically robust than public OELs and that the lack of robustness will have a negative impact on the field of occupational hygiene as a whole.
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| 48. |
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| 49. |
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| 50. |
- Schenk, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Use of uncertainty factors by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits : a follow-up
- 2018
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Ingår i: Critical reviews in toxicology. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD. - 1040-8444 .- 1547-6898. ; 48:7, s. 513-521
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Decision on the safety margin, for instance by using uncertainty factors (UFs), is a key aspect in setting Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs). We analyzed the UFs in 128 OEL recommendations from the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL). We investigated factors expected to potentially influence the UFs, as well as a selection of factors that might influence how expert groups perceive quality or reliability of key studies. We extracted UFs explicitly stated in the recommendations (EUFs) and, when EUFs were missing, calculated an implicit safety margin (ISM) by dividing the point of departure (PoD) by the OEL. EUFs and ISMs were lower for recommendations based on human data than those based on animal data. EUFs and ISMs were also lower for No-Observed Adverse Effect Concentrations (NOAECs) than Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Concentrations (LOAECs). We saw no differences based on local vs systemic critical effects. Acute data resulted in lower EUFs and ISMs than subchronic. We saw no influence from status of key study (publication status, performer or funder), but high tonnage substances (1,000,000+ tonnes) have lower EUFs and ISMs than substances currently not registered under REACH. Although SCOEL methodology stated that UF should be documented, only 65 out of 128 OEL recommendations included an EUF. Indeed, the ratio of EUFs to ISMs even decreased from 1991-2003 to 2004-2017. Additionally, EUFs were, on average, 1.8 times higher than ISMs. We conclude that a more articulate framework for using UFs could enhance consistency and transparency of the SCOEL recommendations.
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