At the May 2018 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors (BOD) approved the adoption of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 new and revised American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values (ACGIH TLVs).
The BOD decided to adopt the ACGIH TLVs as British Columbia Occupational Exposure Limits (BC OELs) for the following substances:
- Acetone
- Aliphatic hydrocarbon gases, Alkanes [C1–C4]
- Barium sulfate
- 1-Bromopropane
- Butane, Isomers
- n-butane
- isobutane
- Ethyl tert-butyl ether
- 1-Methoxy-2-propanol
- Methyl formate
- Methyl isoamyl ketone
- Methyl isocyanate
- Naphthalene
- Oxalic acid, anhydrous
- Oxalic acid, dihydrate
- Pentane, all isomers
- Trichloroacetic acid
- Triethylamine
Effective June 1, 2018, these substances will be removed from the Table of Occupational Exposure Limits for Excluded Substances in Policy R5.48-1, and the ACGIH TLVs will be assigned as BC OELs as follows:
| Substance/ Chemical name | B.C. Occupational Exposure Limits | ||
| 8-hour time-weighted average limit | 15-minute short-term exposure limit | Ceiling limit | |
| Acetone | 250 ppm | 500 ppm | |
| Aliphatic hydrocarbon gases, Alkanes [C1–C4] | (Withdrawn) | ||
| Barium sulfate | 5 mg/m3 (Inhalable fraction) |
||
| 1-Bromopropane | 0.1 ppm | ||
Butane, isomers
|
1,000 ppm | ||
| Ethyl tert-butyl ether | 25 ppm | ||
| 1-Methoxy-2-propanol | 50 ppm | 100 ppm | |
| Methyl formate | 50 ppm | 100 ppm | |
| Methyl isoamyl ketone | 20 ppm | 50 ppm | |
| Methyl isocyanate | 0.02 ppm | 0.06 ppm | |
| Naphthalene | 10 ppm | (Withdrawn) | |
| Oxalic acid, anhydrous | 1 mg/m3 | 2 mg/m3 | |
| Oxalic acid, dihydrate | 1 mg/m3 | 2 mg/m3 | |
| Pentane, all isomers | 1,000 ppm | ||
| Trichloroacetic acid | 0.5 ppm | ||
| Triethylamine | 0.5 ppm | 1 ppm | |
Associated ACGIH notations will be retained and updated for the respective individual aliphatic hydrocarbon gases (e.g., methane, ethane, propane). Butane, isomers, will also have its own exposure limit. The updated Table of Exposure Limits for Chemical and Biological Substances will reflect the respective substances’ hazards as being a simple asphyxiant and/or an explosion hazard (EX).
The BOD decided to maintain the existing exposure limits for the following substances due to sampling and/or implementation issues:
- Atrazine
- Clopidol
- Cyanogen bromide
- 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and its esters
- Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether
- N,N-Diethylhydroxylamine
- Ethyl Isocyanate
- Ethylidene norbornene
- Glycerin mist
- Lithium hydride
- Methomyl
- Pentachlorophenol
- Peracetic acid
- Phenyl isocyanate
- Tributyl phosphate
- 1,2,3-Trichloropropane
For Manganese, elemental and inorganic compounds, as Mn, the BOD decided to maintain the existing 8-hour exposure limit of 0.2 mg/m3(total dust), and adopt the ACGIH TLV of 0.02 mg/m3 (respirable fraction) as BC OELs. The BOD decided not to adopt the ACGIH TLV for manganese (inhalable fraction) as a BC OEL due to sampling issues.
For Nickel carbonyl, as Ni, the BOD decided to maintain the existing exposure limit of 0.001 ppm (8-hour time-weighted average), and adopt the ACGIH TLV of 0.05 ppm (ceiling limit) as BC OELs.
Effective June 1, 2018, these substances will be reflected in the Table of OELs for Excluded Substances in Policy R5.48-1, and will be assigned as BC OELs as follows:
| Substance/ Chemical name | B.C. Occupational Exposure Limits | ||
| 8-hour time-weighted average limit | 15-minute short-term exposure limit | Ceiling limit |
|
| Manganese, elemental and inorganic compounds, as Mn | 0.2 mg/m3 (total dust)0.02 mg/m3 (respirable fraction) |
||
| Nickel carbonyl, as Ni | 0.001 ppm | 0.05 ppm | |
WorkSafeBC will continue to monitor the availability of sampling methods for all of these substances.