Carcinogenic chemicals in the working environment are a serious problem for employers and occupational safety managers in companies in Poland, but also in other European Union countries and worldwide. Therefore, European governmental organisations and institutions decided in 2015 there is a need to intensify prevention-oriented activities to reduce occupational exposure to carcinogenic substances. The European Commission and the Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work considered that the basis for these actions would be the introduction of binding occupational exposure limit values (BOELVs) for substances classified as carcinogens and mutagens in all EU countries. They also recommended intensifying activities aimed at identifying processes and works which emit chemical substances that are carcinogenic and/or mutagenic. The recognition of activities involving exposure to: crystalline silica - respirable fraction (RCS) generated at work; dermal exposure to mineral oils previously used in internal combustion engines; and exhaust fumes emitted from diesel engines at work involving the release of carcinogenic substances, imposes additional obligations on employers to reduce occupational risks and ensure the protection of workers. This article presents changes in Polish regulations concerning work with chemical substances and their mixtures having a carcinogenic or mutagenic effect and the obligations and problems for employers arising from these changes.

Benzoic acid is used as a food preservative due to its antioxidant properties. In addition, it is used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Benzoic acid is produced and/or imported to the European Economic Area in large quantities (100,000–1,000,000 t/year). In humans, benzoic acid may cause non-immune contact urticaria (erythema and swelling), which is considered an irritant reaction. The experimental LD₅₀/LC₅₀ values obtained in animal studies (regardless of the route of exposure) indicate a low acute toxicity of benzoic acid. In case of inhalation exposure to benzoic acid, the critical effect (apart from irritating effect) is systemic in nature. Animal studies (rats) have shown that benzoic acid at concentrations of 25 mg/m³ and higher caused, among others, changes in the lungs in the form of interstitial inflammation and fibrosis. The NOAEC value for systemic and local effects was set at 12.6 mg/m³. On the basis of observations in humans and animal studies, it cannot be concluded that benzoic acid has mutagenic and genotoxic effects. In single and multi-generation studies in rodents, exposure to benzoic acid showed no effect on reproduction. In the case of benzoic acid, the critical effect (apart from the irritating effect) is the systemic effect, based on which the MAC value of 0.5 mg/m³ was proposed. The short term exposure value was assumed equal to 3 times the MAC value, i.e. 1.5 mg/m³, with the notation “I” (irritant). Benzoic acid is well absorbed through the skin, therefore, it was proposed to designate the compound with the notation “skin” (dermal absorption may be as important as inhalation).

2,3-Epoxypropyl methacrylate (glycidyl methacrylate, GMA) is an organic chemical compound, an ester of methacrylic acid and 2,3-epoxypropan-1-ol. It is a colorless liquid with a fruity odor. It is used as a co-monomer for the production of epoxy polymers, as an adhesion promoter and cross-linking co-monomer in the production of vinyl and acrylic resins. This substance is on the ACSH (The Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work) priority list for developing a proposal for an EU limit value. So far, no normative values in the air of the working environment have been defined in Poland in regard of 2,3‑epoxypropyl methacrylate. The MAC value of 0,3 mg/m³ and STEL value of 0,6 mg/m³ have been proposed. The basis for calculating the MAC value was the LOAEC value of 3,55 mg/m³ for the irritation of the nasal epithelium in mice (olfactory epithelium metaplasia). Taking into account the carcinogenicity of GMA and its effect on the skin, the following notations have been proposed: “Carc. 1B” – carcinogenic substance of hazard category 1B, “C” – corrosive substance, “A” – skin sensitizing substance, “Ft” – fetotoxic substance, and “Skin” – skin absorption of the substance may be just as important as for inhalation exposure. There is no basis for setting BEI value.

2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) is an organic compound belonging to the phenol group and is an odorless, white or yellowish-white crystalline powder. BHT is an antioxidant used in the production of food, animal feed, animal and vegetable oils, paints, petroleum product soaps, synthetic rubbers and plastics, among others. Worker exposure to BHT can occur during the production, processing and use of the chemical. In 2021 the Group of Experts for Chemical Agents of the Interdepartmental Commission for MAC and MAI proposed MAC value of 10 mg/m³ for BHT. The aim of this study was to develop a method for determining BHT in workplace air for occupational exposure assessment within 1/10–2 of the proposed MAC value. The method is based on retaining the BHT present in the air on a glass fiber filter and XAD-7 sorbent, leaching the retained substance with a solution of N,N-dimethylformamide in methanol and analyzing the solution by the use of gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection. The smallest concentration of BHT that can be determined under the conditions of air sampling and performing the determination is 0.96 mg/m³ (for an air sample of 60 liters). The method for the determination of BHT is presented in the form of an analytical procedure, which is included in the appendix. This article discusses the problems of occupational safety and health, which are covered by health sciences and environmental engineering.

Enflurane is an inhaled general anaesthetic and is a positional isomer of another anaesthetic, namely isoflurane. At room temperature, it is a colourless, transparent liquid with a faint, sweet odour. In occupational exposure, enflurane is often used in a mixture with other inhalation anaesthetics, so symptoms are difficult to attribute to the effects of any one substance. Symptoms such as eye and skin irritation, central nervous system depression, cardiovascular disorders, and liver and kidney damage have been reported in workers exposed to anaesthetic mixtures. The aim of this research work was to develop and validate a method for the determination of enflurane in air at workplaces. This enflurane determination method is based on the adsorption of substance vapours on the ‘Petroleum Charcoal’ activated carbon, extraction with toluene and chromatographic analysis of the resulting solution. The tests used a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) fitted with a capillary polar column ZB-WAXplus (60 m length, 0.25 mm diameter and 0.5 µm stationary phase film thickness). The SIM mass spectrometer readings as a function of enflurane concentration within the tested concentration range (10.0–400 µg/ml) are linear. The analytical method developed enables the determination of enflurane in air at workplaces in the presence of other inhalation anaesthetics. The method is precise and accurate and it meets the requirements of PN-EN 482 for the determination of chemicals. The method developed for the determination of enflurane in air at workplaces has been recorded as an analytical procedure (see Appendix). This article discusses the problems of occupational safety and health, which are covered by health sciences and environmental engineering studies.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a reproductive toxicant category 1B. The purpose of the conducted research work was to develop a method for the determination of dibutyl phthalate, which will enable its determination at concentrations of 0.6 mg/m³. The method involves trapping the aerosol of dibutyl phthalate contained in the air onto a sampler – a glass tube with XAD-2 sorbent and a glass fiber filter, its extraction with an acetone/dichloromethane mixture and chromatographic analysis of the resulting solution. The study was performed with the use of gas chromatography with a mass spectrometry (RTX-5silMS Column). Validation of the method was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the European standard PN-EN 482. The method allows for the determination of a compound in the air of the working environment in a concentration range of 0.06 mg/m³ to 1.2 mg/m³. The method for the determination of dibutyl phthalate is presented in form of an analytical procedure, which is included in the appendix. This article discusses the problems of occupational safety and health, which are covered by health sciences and environmental engineering.

Benzoic acid is an organic compound that belongs to the group of aromatic carboxylic acids. It is mainly used in the production of phenol, caprolactam and benzoic salts, as a food and pharmaceutical preservative, and in the production of herbicides, insecticides and bactericides. According to the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (WE 1272/2008), benzoic acid is classified as a substance that is harmful to the lungs, irritates the skin and causes eye damage. The aim of the study was to develop a method for the determination of benzoic acid for the assessment of occupational exposure within 1/10–2 of the proposed MAC value. The method involves taking the inhalable fraction of airborne benzoic acid onto a glass fiber filter coated with sodium carbonate(IV), desorption with a solution of methanol in water and then determining the benzoic acid content of the sample by the use of liquid chromatography with diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD). Validation requirements presented in European standard PN-EN 482 were fulfilled during the tests. The method enables determination of benzoic acid in air at concentrations of 0.05 to 1 mg/m³. The method for determining benzoic acid has been recorded in the form of an analytical procedure (see Appendix). This article discusses the problems of occupational safety and health, which are covered by health sciences and environmental engineering.