NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

2002

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INTRODUCTION

The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards is intended as a source of general industrial hygiene

information for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals. The Pocket Guide

presents key information and data in abbreviated tabular form for 677 chemicals or substance

groupings (e.g., manganese compounds, tellurium compounds, inorganic tin compounds, etc.) that

are found in the work environment. The industrial hygiene information found in the Pocket Guide

should help users recognize and control occupational chemical hazards. The chemicals or

substances contained in this revision include all substances for which the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended exposure limits (RELs) and those with

permissible exposure limits (PELs) as found in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(OSHA) General Industry Air Contaminants Standard (29 CFR 1910.1000).

Background

In 1974, NIOSH (which is responsible for recommending health and safety standards) joined OSHA

(whose jurisdictions include promulgation and enforcement activities) in developing a series of

occupational health standards for substances with existing PELs. This joint effort was labeled the

Standards Completion Program and involved the cooperative efforts of several contractors and

personnel from various divisions within NIOSH and OSHA. The Standards Completion Program

developed 380 substance-specific draft standards with supporting documentation that contained

technical information and recommendations needed for the promulgation of new occupational health

regulations. The Pocket Guide was developed to make the technical information in those draft

standards more conveniently available to workers, employers, and occupational health

professionals. The Pocket Guide is updated periodically to reflect new data regarding the toxicity of

various substances and any changes in exposure standards or recommendations.

Data Collection and Application

The data were collected from a variety of sources, including NIOSH policy documents such as

criteria documents and Current Intelligence Bulletins (CIBs), and recognized references in the fields

of industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, toxicology, and analytical chemistry.

NIOSH RECOMMENDATIONS

Acting under the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 USC Chapter 15)

and the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 USC Chapter 22), NIOSH develops and

periodically revises recommended exposure limits (RELs) for hazardous substances or conditions in

the workplace. NIOSH also recommends appropriate preventive measures to reduce or eliminate

the adverse health and safety effects of these hazards. To formulate these recommendations,

NIOSH evaluates all known and available medical, biological, engineering, chemical, trade, and

other information relevant to the hazard. These recommendations are then published and

transmitted to OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for use in promulgating

legal standards.

NIOSH recommendations are published in a variety of documents. Criteria documents recommend

workplace exposure limits and appropriate preventive measures to reduce or eliminate adverse

health effects and accidental injuries.

Current Intelligence Bulletins (CIBs) are issued to disseminate new scientific information about

occupational hazards. A CIB may draw attention to a formerly unrecognized hazard, report new data

on a known hazard, or present information on hazard control.

Alerts, Special Hazard Reviews, Occupational Hazard Assessments, and Technical Guidelines

support and complement the other standards development activities of the Institute. Their purpose

is to assess the safety and health problems associated with a given agent or hazard (e.g., the

potential for injury or for carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic effects) and to recommend

appropriate control and surveillance methods. Although these documents are not intended to

supplant the more comprehensive criteria documents, they are prepared to assist OSHA and MSHA

in the formulation of regulations.

In addition to these publications, NIOSH periodically presents testimony before various

Congressional committees and at OSHA and MSHA rulemaking hearings.

A complete list of occupational safety and health issues for which NIOSH has formal policies (e.g.,

recommendations for occupational exposure to chemical and physical hazards, engineering

controls, work practices, safety considerations, etc.) can be found in NIOSH Recommendations for

Occupational Safety and Health: Compendium of Policy Documents and Statements [DHHS

(NIOSH) Publication No. 92-100].