Geruchsintensive Stoffe: Grundlagen, Bewertung und Markierung
MAK-Begründung
Christoph van Thriel1 (Leitung der Arbeitsgruppe „Neurotoxizität und Sensorik“ der Ständigen Senatskommission zur Prüfung gesundheitsschädlicher Arbeitsstoffe, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)Christian Monsé2
Albert W Rettenmeier3
Kirsten Sucker2
Sabine Werner4
Edgar Leibold5
Thomas Brüning2
Michael Arand6
Heiko Käfferlein2
Rüdiger Bartsch7
Patricia Kreis7
Andrea Hartwig7 (Vorsitz der Ständigen Senatskommission zur Prüfung gesundheitsschädlicher Arbeitsstoffe, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
MAK Commission8
1 Leibniz-Institut für Arbeitsforschung an der Universität Dortmund, Ardeystraße 67, 44139 Dortmund, Deutschland
2 Institut für Prävention und Arbeitsmedizin der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung (DGUV), Institut der Ruhr-Universität-Bochum (IPA), Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789 Bochum, Deutschland
3 Institut für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, 45122 Essen, Deutschland
4 Institut für Arbeitsschutz der DGUV (IFA), Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung e.V. (DGUV), Alte Heerstraße 111, 53757 Sankt Augustin, Deutschland
5 BASF SE, Abt. FEP/P, Gebäude Z 570, Carl-Bosch-Straße 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Deutschland
6 Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstraße 190, 8057 Zürich, Schweiz
7 Institut für Angewandte Biowissenschaften, Abteilung Lebensmittelchemie und Toxikologie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, Geb. 50.41, 44139 Karlsruhe, Deutschland
8 Ständige Senatskommission zur Prüfung gesundheitsschädlicher Arbeitsstoffe, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Kennedyallee 40, 53175 Bonn, Deutschland
Abstract
Odours from substances at the workplace are often strong, unpleasant and perceptible even at concentrations below the valid MAK values. “Odour-associated symptoms” such as nausea and headaches may develop as a result of a special processing of neurophysiological signals, a specific neuroanatomical connectivity and the evolutionary significance of olfaction. These effects cannot be taken into consideration for the derivation of a MAK value because they occur only in isolated cases. Substances at the workplace that are associated with these kinds of effects are designated in the List of MAK and BAT Values with a corresponding footnote. This article presents the scientific background and the specific procedure used for applying the footnote. By stimulating specialized odour receptors, odours are perceptible even at very low concentrations. After crossing only a few synaptic junctions, the odour information reaches regions of the brain such as the limbic system, the vegetative nuclei of the hypothalamus and the reticular formation. Odours, particularly unpleasant ones, are often perceived as a sign of danger based on individual experiences and evolutionary developments. However, individual responses differ considerably and this variation cannot be explained adequately by physiological mechanisms. Therefore, in order to have the potential of inducing “odour-associated symptoms”, the workplace substances in question must have a low odour threshold and an unpleasant odour quality. The methods used to identify these odour characteristics are quite heterogeneous and have not been standardized. Different sources were used to determine the odour characteristics of the 43 workplace substances from the List of MAK and BAT Values that potentially met these criteria. After the data were checked for plausibility, 23 of the substances were designated with the footnote following a systematic evaluation.
