NIOSH schedules public meeting on carcinogen, REL policies
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has announced plans to hold a public meeting to review its approach to classifying carcinogens and establishing recommended exposure limits (RELs) for occupational exposures to hazards associated with cancer.
Concerns have been expressed concerns recently about limitations in the NIOSH Carcinogen Policy, prompting a review of the policy in 2010. One area of concern: the term ``Potential Occupational Carcinogen'' which dates to the 1980 OSHA hazard classification for carcinogens and allows for only one cancer category, which is ``potential occupational carcinogen.''
"The adjective 'potential' conveys uncertainty that is not warranted with many carcinogens such as asbestos, benzene, and others," according to NIOSH. "This policy does not allow for classification on the basis of the magnitude and sufficiency of the scientific evidence. In contrast, other organizations, such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) allow for a more differential classification."