Summary Report, Conclusions and Recommendations

Abstract

The aim of occupational health practice is to prevent adverse health effects of exposure at work. Such exposure arises from inhalation of dusts, fumes and gases, from ingestion or by dermal absorption. The respiratory tract is the main portal of entry, and this is reflected in the occupational exposure limits (OELs) adopted in a number of countries. These are usually expressed as time-weighted averages on the basis of an 8-h day over a 40-h week. Because of the wide variations in industrial practices from industry to industry and from individual to individual, the measurement of atmospheric concentrations (environmental monitoring, EM), using a personal sampler, does not necessarily give a correct assessment of the intake of any given systemic chemical. In these circumstances, biological monitoring (BM) is in many cases preferable, as it provides an integrated measurement of absorption from all routes of entry. Moreover, it makes is possible in principle to estimate the concentration in the critical organ. In addition, BM takes into account intra- and interindividual variation in biotransformation and elimination processes.

The Organizing Committee of the Workshop delegated the writing of this report to: R. Murray (Chairman-rapporteur), V. J. Feron, R. F. M. Herber, W. J. Hunter, A. C. Monster, W. R. F. Notten and R. L. Zielhuis.