Permissible exposure limit stays the same in California
The California Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (CalOSHA) has recommended that California's existing permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asphalt fume--which stands at 5 mg/m3--not be changed. This committee provides technical analysis and recommendations regarding permissible occupational exposure limits within the state. On Feb. 14, the committee considered whether to recommend a significant reduction in asphalt fume exposure limits, similar to that adopted by the American Conference of Government and Industrial Hygienists at the beginning of 2000. Accompanying the California Asphalt Pavement Alliance in the formal proceeding were the Asphalt Paving Environmental Council (APEC) and the Asphalt Roofing Environmental Council (AREC). A statement by the Asphalt Institute on behalf of the refiner organizations made it clear that APEC and AREC were formed in recognition of the fact that the end uses of asphalt are in various industry sectors and those sectors differ in many respects. These sector differences include work practices, application temperatures, construction materials and confounding exposures to other agents. Based on these differences, each sector should be evaluated on its own merits.
