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Posted By Steffan Jones
I'd appreciate some help with the following...
Is there any simple way of estimating whether a WEL is likely to be exceeded through use of a particular substance?
For example; I am trying to assess the risk of a substance which contains a small amount of Methanol (LTEL 266mgm-3 and STEL 333mgm-3). We would only use millilitres of the substance for approximately 2 minutes 3 times a day...
Is there a general rule of thumb that can be followed or do I need to conduct some form of monitoring in order to determine specifically whether we are likely to exceed the WEL. This would surely mean monitoring would have to be conducted for any substance with a WEL...can that really be the case?
Many thanks,
SJ
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Posted By Coshh Assessor
It depends on the temperature of the substance (in relation to its vapour pressure or boiling point) and most importantly the extent to which it's contained as well as the quantity and duration.
I seem to remember the "COSHH Essentials" tool on the HSE website will do this assessment for you if you have the data.
In some cases you can also compare the WEL to the odour detection limit of the human nose and draw a conclusion from that.
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Posted By Steffan Jones
Thank you for the advice.
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Posted By Paul Leadbetter
Exceedance of the WEL seems unlikely from the information provided (unless you are spraying it) but don't forget that methanol can also be absorbed through the skin.
Paul
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Posted By stephen d clarke
Hi,
Agree with above postings, if you know the actual amount of methyl alcohol that could evaporate and the volume of the room you should be able to make a rough estimate.
3M do a respirator selector and odour threshold table at:
http://www.lbl.gov/ehs/c...iratorSelectionGuide.pdf
But smell really depends upon personal sensitivity, usually quite a broad range.
Steve
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