Scientific and practical considerations for the development of occupational exposure limits (OELs) for chemical substances

Occupational exposure limits (OELs) serve occupational health professionals as benchmarks for a healthy work environment. OELs are generally developed by manufacturers for substances which are not subject to governmental regulation or which have not been evaluated by consensus organizations such as the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. This review is intended to serve as a practical guide to the standard-setting process. The discussion encompasses the evaluation of data, the different methods used for calculating limits, and the application of these limits to the workplace. The need for additional research to enhance the reliability of current methods is also discussed.