The list is based on Council Directive 98/24/EC on the protection of the health and safety of workers from the risks related to chemical agents at work.
Indicative occupational exposure limit values are health-based, non-binding values, derived from the most recent scientific data available and taking into account the availability of measurement techniques.
Member States shall establish national occupational exposure limit values for the chemical agents listed in the Annex, taking into account the Community values but may determine its nature in accordance with national legislation and practice.
The Directive establishes values for a reference period of eight-hours time weighted average and also for a short term period of 15 minutes for the following 33 chemical agents:
Nicotine
Formic acid
Methanol
Chloroethane
Acetonitrile
Isopentane
Nitrobenzene
Resorcinol
Toluene
Monochlorobenzene
Pentane
Diethylamine
n-Hexane
Cyclohexane
Morpholine
2-(2-Methoxyethoxy)ethanol
2-(2-Butoxyethoxy)ethanol
Carbon dioxide
2-Aminoethanol
Oxalic acid
Cyanamide
Neopentane
Diphosphorus pentaoxide
Diphosphorus pentasulphide
Silver (soluble compounds as Ag)
Barium (soluble compounds as Ba)
Chromium Metal, Inorganic Chromium (II) Compounds and Inorganic Chromium (III) Compounds (insoluble)
Nitric acid
Bromine
Chlorine
Phosphine
Pyrethrum
Phosphorus pentachloride
Of these 33 substances, 17 were already listed in the Annex to Commission Directive 91/322/EEC. For 4 of these substances, the establishment of new indicative limit values was recommended and, for 13 substances, the maintenance of the previous limit values. Therefore 17 substances now listed in the Annex to this Directive were deleted from the Annex to Commission Directive 91/322/EEC, whereas the other 10 substances remain in the Annex to Commission Directive 91/322/EEC.
Read the full text of the Directive
National laws implementing this Directive
There are further lists on indicative occupational exposure limit values:
- Commission Directive 91/322/EEC establishing indicative limit values
- Commission Directive 2000/39/EC establishing a first list of indicative occupational exposure limit values
- Commission Directive 2009/161/EU establishing a third list of indicative occupational exposure limit values
- Commission Directive 2017/164/EU establishing a fourth list of indicative occupational exposure limit values
- Commission Directive 2019/1831/EU establishing a fifth list of indicative occupational exposure limit values