NIOSH Gives Exposure Limits for Coffee, Butter Flavor Chemicals

After more than five years of deliberations, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health issued final recommended exposure limits Oct. 31 for diacetyl and a related substance, 2,3-pentanedione.

The recommended exposure limits call for exposures of no more than 5 parts per billion for diacetyl and up to 9.3 parts per billion for 2,3-pentanedione on average over an 8-hour per day, 40-hour work week. The document, “Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Diacetyl and 2,3-Pentanedione,” keeps recommended exposure limits from a draft document the agency issued last year.

NIOSH added the recommendations for short-term exposures of ...