Newsletter Autumn 2010
NEWS
Extension to UKAS scope for Environmental Services
During the annual UKAS surveillance visit the Environmental Services section were also assessed for
an extension to scope for Metals to BS EN 14385 and Total Mercury to BS EN 13211. Accreditation
for these methods was granted in August 2010 and complements our already comprehensive
schedule.
This accredited monitoring will be of interest to a wide range of metals processing operators
including foundries, surface treatment of metals and electrical recycling facilities. The extension to
our scope of accreditation gives Envirocare the advantage of a wider range of potential clients to
service both in the UK and abroad.
For our full schedule of accreditation please click here.
New Company Brochure
The new brochure brings together into one document, information on all of our existing services
including those that have changed or developed over recent years. The purpose of the amalgamated
document is to provide both clients and potential clients with a one-stop-shop guide to all of our
services that can be easily referenced.
We are also planning a new website for sometime early next year.
New Appointment
We are pleased to announce the appointment of a new consultant within the Occupational Hygiene
and Safety Services section. Moya Rowland joins our team having worked previously for WS Atkins.
Moya has ten years of consultancy experience and holds NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational
Safety and Health.
Moya will undergo further internal and external training to help her to deliver the full range of
Occupational Hygiene & Safety services that Envirocare are able to offer.
We offer Moya a warm welcome and much success here at Envirocare.
New Arrival
Everybody at Envirocare would like to extend their congratulations and warmest wishes to Craig
Batty and his wife Justine who have recently become parents for the second time. We hope that
Tom brings you all the joy and happiness in the world.
IN DEPTH ARTICLE
Occupational Hygiene & You - Routes of Exposure to Chemicals into the Body
When we consider how chemicals make their way into workers’ bodies where they may cause harm
or ill health, our first thought is the route of inhalation (breathing in) of chemicals. However, there
are three routes of exposure of substances into the body which should be considered in a risk
assessment: these are inhalation, ingestion or absorption.
Inhalation – the breathing in of substances, is the most common route of exposure into the body.
Harm can occur by various mechanisms including direct damage to the upper respiratory tract, such
as the nose and throat, or by absorption into the lungs and then bloodstream for short term effects.
Absorption – exposure of this sort is most likely through the largest organ of the body – the skin.
Some hazardous substances have a greater likelihood of exposure via this route where they have the
potential to cause harm by acute (short term) or chronic (long term) ill health or disease.
Ingestion – in other words eating the contaminant! At first this sounds unlikely, but it is often a
result of contamination and poor personal hygiene within the workplace, such as lack of hand
washing. An example that we recently investigated was in the manufacturing sector involving the
use of lead. This substance is well controlled by the control of Lead at Work Regulations (CLAW)
2002.
Air monitoring revealed that there was insignificant exposure via inhalation during its use but some
operatives were exhibiting exposure to Lead as shown by biological monitoring (post shift blood
sampling). Further forensic investigation for surface contamination showed trace levels of Lead were
present in areas around the working environment and on surfaces in the canteen and on skin swabs
from the hands of operatives. This showed that the exposure to Lead was caused by ingestion
probably caused by poor hygiene. Once some training had been introduced the Lead in blood levels
dropped to acceptable levels.
So exposure can be assessed for a wide variety of hazardous substances by air monitoring using
personal sampling (inhalation), by biological monitoring (post shift urine sampling - absorption) and
by surface contamination testing (ingestion).