Biomedical subjects

A Stijkel

Publications and source records attributed to A Stijkel.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Drafting guidelines for occupational exposure to chemicals: the Dutch experience with the assessment of reproductive risks.

The Dutch procedure for standard setting for occupational exposure to chemicals, just like the European Union (EU) procedure, is characterized by an organizational separation between considerations of health on the one side, and of technology, economics, and policy on the other side. Health considerations form the basis for numerical guidelines. These guidelines are next combined with technical-economical considerations. Standards are then proposed, and are finally set by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. An analysis of this procedure might be of relevance to the US, where other procedures are used and criticized. In this article we focus on the first stage of the standard-setting procedure. In this stage, the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Standards (DECOS) drafts a criteria document in which a health-based guideline is proposed. The drafting is based on a set of starting points for assessing toxicity. We raise the questions, "Does DECOS limit itself only to health considerations? And if not, what are the consequences of such a situation?" We discuss DECOS' starting points and analyze the relationships between those starting points, and then explore eight criteria documents where DECOS was considering reproductive risks as a possible critical effect. For various reasons, it will be concluded that the starting points leave much interpretative space, and that this space is widened further by the manner in which DECOS utilizes it. This is especially true in situations involving sex-specific risks and uncertainties in knowledge. Consequently, even at the first stage, where health considerations alone are intended to play a role, there is much room for other than health-related factors to influence decision making, although it is unavoidable that some interpretative space will remain. We argue that separating the various types of consideration should not be abandoned. Rather, through adjustments in the starting points and aspects of the procedure, clarity should be guaranteed about the way the interpretative space is being employed.

Decision Making↗

PubMed1995

Developments in reproductive risk management.

Internationally, the debate on aims for occupational health policy is expanding its horizons. Included among the issues are not only concerns about safety for workers, but also for their progeny. Equality among the sexes is also assuming a prominent position. In several countries, existing and proposed legislation already considers these matters. In the course of this article it is argued that this legislation and its implementation are inadequate. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, what constitutes health risks for workers exposed to chemical substances is subject to different interpretations. This is further complicated when one includes risks to reproductive function and to the progeny: the reproductive risks of toxicity. The different interpretations of the concepts of safety and equality are also discussed. There are differences in regulations and in standards about whether or not safety factors should be used when knowledge is uncertain. The operation of reasonable measures with a generic or sex specific policy also differs. Secondly, the current occupational exposure limits are set too high. These aspects are considered and it is probable that the policy aims should be made more specific. An elaborated approach that includes the "precautionary principle" in safety standards is proposed. To advise employers in their role as managers of reproductive risks of toxicity, a recently developed system for occupational health and safety services is described. This system is based on two criteria: effectiveness and reasonableness of proposed measures. The effectiveness criterion includes the precautionary principle; the reasonableness criterion includes equal rights and opportunities for men and women. Finally, a supportive governmental policy that is consistent with the most recent international development is recommended.

Female↗

PubMed1995

Implementation of the precautionary principle in standards for the workplace.

The objectives were to describe and discuss the current and proposed European occupational health policy on two categories of substances that pose serious effects: those potentially carcinogenic or genotoxic and those with toxic effects on reproduction. The precautionary principle was applied to setting standards for the workplace for those two categories of substances, to give an impression of the resulting limit values and the consequences of the implementation of this precautionary principle. A pragmatic approach was chosen as this starts with substantial indications of health risks. For the suspected carcinogenic or genotoxic substances 0.1 mg/m3 as a precautionary occupational exposure limit (precautionary OEL) is proposed. For the substances suspected of causing reproductive toxicity the precautionary OEL was derived in three ways, depending on the availability of data and of a current Dutch workplace standard (MAC, maximum accepted concentration): (a) by calculation based on available inhalatory animal data on the risks of reproductive toxicity; (b) by adding a safety factor of 10 to the current MAC, if no inhalatory animal data on reproductive toxicity are available; (c) by using 0.1 mg/m3 as precautionary OEL for substances suspected of having reproductive toxicity but without inhalatory animal data on reproductive toxicity and without a MAC.

Carcinogens↗

PubMed1988

Health risk assessment of residents living on harbour sludge.

A modelled approach for the assessment of exposure and health risks in a case of soil pollution with an unknown but probably large number of potential contaminants is presented. In 1983 the Steendijkpolder, a housing estate of about 800 houses, an agglomeration of schools and a tennis hall was built directly on a 4-m-thick layer of harbour sludge. The sludge originated from around 20 harbour basins in Rotterdam and the industrial area around the Nieuwe Waterweg. In the soil organic solvents, PAH's, aldrin, dieldrin, isodrin, telodrin and several heavy metals were found to be present as contaminants. Not all contaminants, including a number of halogenated compounds, were identified. The investigation of the other relevant environmental compartments in this situation, e.g. drinking-water, indoor-air and home grown vegetables showed that soil ingestion was the predominant route of intake of contaminants. Therefore the exposure of infants (age: 2-3 years) was calculated. The calculated intake of PAH by soil ingestion was around half the average intake of PAH in the daily diet. The extra exposure to drins (a group of cyclodiene insecticides) due to soil ingestion and inhaled contaminated indoor air was calculated to exceed twice the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of dieldrin. The calculated maximal intake of Pb by soil ingestion exceeded the average intake of Pb in the daily diet by around 1.4 times. The maximal intake by soil ingestion of the other identified contaminants was relatively low. It was concluded that with the present knowledge the calculated exposure would not result in observable health damage.

Adult↗