OEL: European Commission proposal for an EU-wide Binding Beryllium OEL

On 5 April 2018, The European Commission published its proposal for a binding occupational exposure level (OEL) for the 3rdwave of substances including Beryllium and its inorganic compounds, to be reviewed under the “Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work”(CMD).

The European Commission has followed the opinion adopted by the Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (ACSH) (see website post of 22 August 2017) and has proposed an OEL of 600 ng/m3 as an 8-hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) for “Inhalable” beryllium-containing particulates, for a transition period of 5 years, to be subsequently reduced to 200 ng/m3 inhalable 8h TWA after the transitional period.

BeST endorses the OEL of 600 ng/m3 inhalable 8h TWA for the transitional period of five years as this level is both protective and feasible. However, BeST recalls that 200 ng/m3, to be implemented after the transitional period, is not feasible in all industrial processes and could have severe economic impacts.

The proposal was published along with the accompanying Summary of the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment conducted by RPA. Comments on the proposal can be submitted to the European Commission – Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion – until 04 June 2018 (More information here).

BeST will submit detailed comments and is currently preparing a position paper on the proposal. This will be shared on the website in the upcoming days. BeST welcomes all comments.

To see the European Commission’s proposal for the 3rd wave of substances to be reviewed under the Carcinogen and Mutagens Directive, please click here.