Question

A worker is exposed to a hazardous material at level that is about 2/3 of the allowable limit yet is reporting symptoms consistent with exposure to the material. Explain this in terms of exposure limits, absorbed dose, and other relevant factors.

Answer 1

The permissible exposure limit (PEL) also called allowable limit for a chemical to be in contact with by any human being is 8 hour in a day, which is the average exposure limit in a day. This is the consider a safe limit as upto this exposure limit, individual may not harm and hence not showing any symptoms of disease. Because of capacity of varying absorbed limit of different chemical, symptoms may occur on less time for some individual and longer time of average for other individual body which is more physically fit.

Now the question says that even of 2/3 of the allowable limits, if the person is in contact with chemical shows the symptom. This is due to prescribed limit is average limit, which is decided based on average fitness of the body of individual, and on the average hour limit of exposure. This limit is varying from minimum to maximum following the normal distribution curve. The person may be lin build and have low immune system, show the symptoms upon low time of exposure.