[Comparison research on occupational exposure limits of nickle and its compounds between China and foreign countries].
<b>Objective:</b> To study and compare the occupational exposure limits (OELs) of nickle and its compounds between China and foreign countries, providing scientific basis for the OEL revision of nickel and its compounds in China. <b>Methods:</b> From July to September 2024, Literature, OEL and related technical documents on nickel and its compounds were searched and sorted systematically at home and abroad, the main contents and technical points of OEL were extracted, and comparative analysis were conducted. <b>Results:</b> The earliest OELs of nickel and its compound introduced to China was maximum allowable concentration (MAC) of nickel carbonyl, and the current effective standard China was occupational exposure limits for hazardous agents in the workplace-part 1: chemical hazardous agents (GBZ 2.1-2019), covering nickel and inorganic compounds and nickel carbonyl. The former was further divided into nickel metal and insoluble compounds, and soluble nickel compounds. Based solely on the OELs of nickel and its compounds, China was relatively lower compared to developed countries such as the United States. There were significant differences in the OEL of different types of nickel and its compounds among different countries, but the OELs in China and the United Kingdom (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were basically consistent. The European Union, the United States American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), South Africa etal classified nickel and its compounds into respirable and inhalable based on particle size. GBZ 2.1-2019 in China labeled nickel compounds and nickel carbonyl as G1 (carcinogenic to humans), while ACGIH and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the United States, HSE in the UK, Australia, South Africa also labeled one or several different types of nickel and its compounds as carcinogenic. <b>Conclusion:</b> Based on the OELs of nickel and its compounds, China is at a relatively loose level. It is suggested to explore the possibility of future revision, considering various adverse health effects. It is suggested to conduct basic research on fibrosis induced by nickel and its compounds, providing scientific basis for revising OELs.
Authors
- Yanmei Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5526-7624)
- T Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6845-7806)
- W J Li
- Lu Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0632-6246)
- Q H Zhu
Institutions
- National Institute for Occupational Health and Poison Control (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PubMed
- Published
- 2025-05-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.cn121094-20240927-00445
- Primary Topic
- Occupational exposure and asthma
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00