Exposure-risk relationship

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In toxicology, the exposure-risk relationship (ERR) of a substance describes the relationship between the mass concentration and the statistical probability of the occurrence of a disease. In Germany, the Committee for Hazardous Substances determines exposure-risk relationships for carcinogenic substances, which are published by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in the Joint Ministerial Gazette as Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances 910. They describe the relationship between the concentration of which is taken by inhalation of a carcinogenic substance, and the statistical probability of the occurrence of cancer during the whole life . Exposure-risk relationships according to TRGS 910 are therefore statistical-mathematical functions and not numerical or limit values .

Health-based occupational exposure limits can often not be derived for carcinogenic substances, as there is usually no exposure that can completely rule out any adverse health effects on employees. The establishment of substance-specific exposure-risk relationships enables the derivation of acceptable and tolerable concentrations that are associated with a defined, additional cancer risk. When deriving the ERB, exposure in the air at the workplace is assumed throughout the entire working life, i.e. H. eight hours a day over a period of 40 years.

According to TRGS 400, substance-specific acceptance and tolerance concentrations should be used as assessment criteria for the risk assessment in activities with carcinogenic hazardous substances. In order to determine the necessity and urgency of protective measures, the level of exposure measured at a workplace is compared with the derived acceptance and tolerance concentrations.

With the entry into force of the new version of the Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV) on January 1, 2005, the technical reference concentrations for carcinogenic substances in Germany were abolished. In 2007 the Committee for Hazardous Substances decided on a risk concept for carcinogenic substances, which was published in 2008 in the notice on hazardous substances, risk values ​​and exposure-risk relationships for activities with carcinogenic hazardous substances (BekGS 910). After a five-year trial phase, the Committee for Hazardous Substances decided in 2013 to revise the BekGS 910 as a technical rule for hazardous substances 910. TRGS 910 has been legally binding since February 2014 when it was published in the Joint Ministerial Gazette. TRGS 910 specifies § 6 (risk assessment) and § 10 (derivation of protective measures) of the applicable German Hazardous Substances Ordinance.

Acceptance and tolerance concentrations

According to TRGS 910, the acceptance concentration is the concentration of a substance in the air at the workplace, which corresponds to the risk of acceptance via its exposure-risk relationship and, if it is not reached, is associated with a low, acceptable risk of cancer. The acceptance risk is a cross-substance factor. It gives the statistical probability for the occurrence of cancer in the amount of 4: 10,000. This means that if the acceptable concentration at the workplace is adhered to, there is an additional cancer risk of 4: 10,000. There is therefore a statistical probability that out of 10,000 employees who are exposed to the substance during their entire working life, four will develop cancer. The acceptance risk is to be reduced to 4: 100,000 by 2018.

According to TRGS 910, the tolerance concentration is the concentration of a substance in the air at the workplace, which corresponds to the tolerance risk via its exposure-risk relationship and, if exceeded, is associated with a high, unacceptable risk of cancer. The tolerance risk is a cross-substance factor. It corresponds to an additional cancer risk of 4: 1,000. If the tolerance concentration at the workplace is adhered to, there is a statistical probability that four out of 1,000 employees who are exposed to the substance during their entire working life will develop cancer.

So far, the Committee on Hazardous Substances has established exposure-risk relationships for the following substances:

material Acceptance concentration Tolerance concentration comment
Acrylamide 0.07 mg / m 3 0.15 mg / m 3
Acrylonitrile 0.26 mg / m 3 2.6 mg / m 3
Aluminum silicate fibers 10,000 F / m 3 100,000 F / m 3 see also TRGS 558
Arsenic compounds 0.83 µg / m 3 8.3 µg / m 3 inhalable fraction; applies to arsenic compounds classified as C1A or C1B (e.g. arsenic trioxide )
asbestos 10,000 F / m 3 100,000 F / m 3 see also TRGS 517 and TRGS 519
benzene 0.2 mg / m 3 1.9 mg / m 3
Benzo (a) pyrene 70 ng / m 3 700 ng / m 3 in certain PAH mixtures ; inhalable fraction
1,3-butadiene 0.5 mg / m 3 5 mg / m 3
Cadmium and cadmium compounds 0.16 µg / m 3 (A fraction) 1 µg / m 3 (E fraction) applies to cadmium compounds that have been classified as C1A or C1B (e.g. cadmium chloride )
Chromium (VI) compounds Risk 4: 1,000 at 1 µg / m 3
Dimethylnitrosamine 0.075 µg / m 3 0.75 µg / m 3
Epichlorohydrin 2.3 mg / m 3 8 mg / m 3
Ethylene oxide 0.2 mg / m 3 2 mg / m 3
Hydrazine 2.2 µg / m 3 22 µg / m 3
4,4'-methylenedianiline 70 µg / m 3 700 µg / m 3
Trichlorethylene 33 mg / m 3 60 mg / m 3

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f TRGS 910 Risk-related concept of measures for activities with carcinogenic hazardous substances (TRGS 910), BAuA, accessed July 10, 2015.
  2. ↑ a b c Exposure assessment for carcinogenic substances , The Risk Concept of the Committee for Hazardous Substances (AGS), Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance, accessed July 9, 2015.
  3. ↑ Substances with acceptable and tolerable concentrations , Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance, accessed July 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ TRGS 400 Risk assessment for activities with hazardous substances, BAuA, accessed July 9, 2015.
  5. ↑ a b Risk concept of the AGS BAuA, accessed July 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ a b Dirk Pallapies, Tobias Weiß: Risk-related concept of measures for activities with carcinogenic hazardous substances. In: IPA-Journal 02/2014, PDF
  7. ↑ Explanations for exposure-risk relationships BAuA, accessed July 12, 2015.
  8. ↑ TRGS 558 activities with high temperature wool, BAuA, accessed July 12, 2015.
  9. ↑ TRGS 517 Activities with potentially asbestos-containing mineral raw materials and mixtures and products made from them, BAuA, accessed July 12, 2015.
  10. ↑ TRGS 519 Asbestos: Demolition, renovation or maintenance work, BAuA, accessed July 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ Justification for Chromium VI in TRGS 910 BAuA, accessed July 12, 2015.