OEL: ACSH Opinion on Beryllium OEL

The Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (ACSH) adopted its Opinion on an EU Occupational Exposure Limit value for Beryllium and Inorganic Beryllium Compounds under Directive 2004/37/EC. The opinion was adopted on 31 May 2017.

The ACSH has proposed an OEL of 600 ng/m3 as an 8-hour Time Weighted Average (TWA) for “Inhalable” beryllium-containing particulates, for a transitional period of 5 years to be reduced to 200 ng/m3 inhalable 8h TWA after the transitional period. Contrarily to the ACSH opinion, the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits’ (SCOEL) recommendation features an Occupational Exposure Limit for Beryllium of 20 ng/m3 inhalable 8h TWA.

BeST endorses the ACSH opinion for an OEL of 600 ng/m3 inhalable 8h TWA, protective and feasible. BeST recalls however that 200 ng/m3, recommended after a transitional period of 5 years, is not feasible in all industrial processes and could have severe economic impacts.

Please find the ACSH opinion here:

ACSH-Opinion-Beryllium.pdf

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