Chemical Permissible Exposure Limits Value Versus No Limits Debated at Health Panel

DENVER—Chemical permissible exposure limits that are not protective enough of worker health can be more harmful than having no PELs at all because the limits become an obstacle to reducing workplace hazards, a speaker said Nov. 9 during a panel discussion held at the American Public Health Association annual meeting.

Inadequate PELs, based on old data, “are a license to overexpose people to a substance or product,” said Eileen Senn, an industrial hygiene consultant with the New Jersey Work Environment Council. “Setting a PEL 1,000 times too high is like setting the speed limit at 6,500 miles per hour,” she ...