Recently, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced revisions to the workplace environment measurement (WEM) standards. Starting from April 2021, Japan requires that WEM in designated workplaces can be conducted using personal sampling devices worn by workers, in addition to traditional methods, to more accurately assess and monitor harmful factors in the workplace.
Revisions:
1. Adds fourteen substances to the list of target substances for WEM using personal sampling methods:
- Dichloroaniline and its salts
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
- o-Toluidine and its salts
- Diphenylamine and its salts
- Beryllium and its compounds
- Acrylamide
- Potassium cyanide
- Hydrogen cyanide
- Sodium cyanide
- Powdered nickel compounds (excluding nickel carbonyl)
- Nitroethylene glycol
- p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene
- p-Nitrochlorobenzene
- Arsenic and its compounds (excluding arsine and gallium arsenide)
The WEM system is used to assess and monitor harmful factors in the workplace, focusing on chemical substances, physical factors, and biological factors that may affect workers' health. This system involves measurement and monitoring, data analysis, and risk assessment to ensure the health and safety of workers.
Of the new substances, dichloroaniline and its salts, o-toluidine and its salts, and diphenylamine and its salts do not have set management concentrations. Therefore, the MHLW does not require WEM assessments for these substances. However, they must be managed according to the Regulations on the Prevention of Hazards from Specified Chemical Substances, as these are designated as Class I specified substances with carcinogenic properties.
Implementation Date: January 1, 2025.
2. In terms of analytical methods, adds seven substances that require analysis through Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).
- Lead
- Cobalt and its inorganic compounds
- Powdered nickel compounds (excluding nickel carbonyl)
- Cadmium and its compounds
- Vanadium pentoxide
- Beryllium and its compounds
- Arsenic and its compounds (excluding arsine and gallium arsenide)
Implementation Date: January 1, 2025
3. Updates method for determining organic solvent concentration
The method for determining the concentration of other organic solvents has been updated. The new method for determining the concentration by dividing the amount of organic solvents in the product by the product's volume. If there are two or more types of organic solvents, the calculation uses the total amount of all organic solvents.
Implementation Date: July 1, 2024
