Revised airborne exposure limits for chemical warfare agents

Abstract

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is revising airborne exposure limits (AELs) for tabun (GA), sarin (GB), VX, and sulfur mustard (H, HT, and HD) for demilitarization workers and the general public. New exposure criteria include short-term exposure limits (STELs) and immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) values. These new criteria augment revised long-term criteria, which include worker population limits (WPLs) and general population limits (GPLs). The criteria were revised using various risk assessment approaches, including reference concentration (RfC), relative potency, categorical regression (CatReg), carcinogenicity potency, and the CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) IDLH methods. CDC believes the revised criteria meet the goal of protecting workers and the public at potential airborne concentration levels below those that would result in adverse health effects from acute exposures and further protect against risk for effects from long-term exposure. © 2006 Springer.