ECHA proposes new OELs for benzene, nickel and acrylonitrile

The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency has proposed new occupational exposure limits for benzene, nickel and its compounds and acrylonitrile. https://echa.europa.eu/-/committee-for-risk-assessment-recommends-an-occupational-exposure-limit-for-benzene. Benzene is a genotoxic carcinogen, known to cause leukaemia. The proposed OEL of 0.05 parts per million will protect workers from leukaemia as well as other adverse health effects. RAC also proposed an OEL of 0.45 parts per million for acrylonitrile. For nickel and its compounds, it proposed OELs of 0.005 mg/m3 for respirable dust and 0.03 mg/m3 for inhalable dust.