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.
Member States shall establish national occupational exposure limit values for the chemical agents listed in the Annex, taking into account the Community values.
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 60 chemical agents:
Diethylether
Acetone
Chloroform
1,1,1-Trichloroethane
Ethylamine
1,1-Dichloroethane
Phosgene
Chlorodifluoromethane
Butanone
Propionic acid
o-Xylene
1,2-Dichlorobenzene
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene
Cumene
2-Phenylpropene
Ethylbenzene
e-Caprolactam
Heptan-3-one
p-Xylene
Allyl alcohol
Ethylene glycol
1-Methoxypropanol-2
4-Methylpentan-2-one
m-Xylene
2-Methoxy-1-methylethylacetate
Mesitylene (Trimethylbenzenes)
Cyclohexanone
Tetrahydrofuran
5-Methylhexan-2-one
Heptan-2-one
Piperazine
2-Butoxyethanol
2-Butoxyethyl acetate
Dimethylether
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
Triethylamine
Isopentylacetate
Dimethylamine
N,N-Dimethylacetamide
n-Butylacrylate
n-Heptane
1,2,3-Trimethylbenzene
5-Methylheptan-3-one
1-Methylbutylacetate
Pentylacetate
3-Pentylacetate
Amylacetate
Xylene
Sulphotep
Hydrogen fluoride
Silver, metallic
Hydrogen chloride
Orthophosphoric acid
Ammonia
Fluorine
Dihydrogen selenide
Hydrogen bromide
Sodium azide
(2-Methoxymethylethoxy)-propanol
Fluorides, inorganic
The limit value for chlorobenzene was repealed by Commission Directive 2006/15/EC.
Limit value for phenol is repealed by, and new limit value is available in Commission Directive 2009/161/EU.
Limit value for 1,4-Dichlorobenzene is repealed by, and new limit value is available in Commission Directive 2017/164/EU.
Read the full text of the consolidated version of the Directive (including later amendments)
Read the full text of the original 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 2006/15/EC establishing a second 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