Occupational exposure to airborne substances harmful to health.
Respirable fibre: any organic or mineral structure or composition with a definite length/diameter ratio which may become deposited in the lung tissue and cause harmful health effects.
Safety factor: a margin of safety embodied in exposure limits during their establishment, when extrapolating to workers data obtained from research or epidemiological studies. As regards experimental data, the guiding criteria for the numerical value to be given to this factor agree to some extent for oral poisoning; allowance is made in particular for the species, weight and sex of the laboratory animal and the biological effects of the substance studied. On the other hand, in the case of experimental poisoning by inhalation, which is the most significant for establishing exposure limits, there are still many sources of uncertainty.
Scientific research institute: a public or private institute or specialised laboratory attached to an undertaking.
Sensitising substance: substance which can increase the sensitivity of one or more body tracts or systems to any stimulus to which they were less sensitive before exposure.
Skin absorption: penetration of a toxic substance into the body either through the horny and fatty layers of the skin in the case of liposoluble substances (such as solvents) or through the hair follicles in the case of many other substances; for the purposes of occupational exposure control, the skin absorption route is considered for practical purposes when toxic effects can follow the absorption of certain substances (e.g. aniline or certain organophosphoric pesticides) merely through direct contact with the skin.
Special category of worker: workers who, on account of their age (adolescents, older workers) or sex (women of childbearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers) or physical (disabled) or other condition (e.g. enzymatic), may be more sensitive to certain harmful
substances than the average worker; this does not necessarily mean that the exposure limits are not applicable to these categories of worker, but that they may not be applicable to a specific individual in one of these categories and that medical precautions are therefore necessary.
Substitute material: substance which offers the same technical advantages as a specific substance, but which is harmless or less harmful.
Teratogen: substance or agent capable of causing the development of post-conception deformations in utero, resulting in either abortion or the birth of a malformed offspring.
Toxicity: ability of a substance to cause a reversible or irreversible disturbance of the normal physiological processes of one or more bodily systems; its effects may be asphyxiating, carcinogenic, irritant, mutagenic, radioactive, sensitizing, teratogenic, etc.; short-term toxicity tests are experiments involving the administration of the toxic substance over a period corresponding to one-tenth of the life of a laboratory animal; long-term toxicity tests are carried
out throughout almost the entire life of the animal.
Vapour: gaseous phase of a substance which is liquid at ordinary temperature and pressure. Vapor pressure is the pressure of the vapor in the medium containing it; the higher this vapor pressure and temperature, the more liquid can vaporise.
Waste: solid or liquid residue from industrial, commercial or agricultural activities: refuse, used lubricants, rubble, empty containers, or radioactive or other scraps.
Working environment: the atmosphere of workplaces, whether enclosed or in the open air; it may, in the case of those which are enclosed, be adversely affected by the movement of contaminated air from other workplaces.
Workplace: place where workers responsible for carrying out or supervising a working operation are located permanently, or temporarily; when the work is performed at different places in a room, the entire room is considered as a workplace
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