Meeting Review:  OEL Mysteries – Wait, Wait, Do Not Tell Me!
​Thursday, February 20, 2020
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by:  Frank J. Pokrywka, Ed.D., CIH - Pittsburgh AIHA Secretary 
Who was Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim and what is the famous IH phrase he coined? (answer to follow). On February 20, 2020 our Pittsburgh Local Section had one of the best toxicology presentations I have heard in a long time. Drs. Andrew Maier and Scott Dotson from Cardno Chemrisk gave an eye opening talk behind the “mysteries” surrounding Occupational Exposure Limits.

Did you ever wonder why there are so many occupational exposure limits (OELs) for a specific chemical? Or, why the OELs from NIOSH, ACGIH, and OSHA for that chemical differ widely and what do all those acronyms mean. OELs are important resources for industrial hygienists involved in protecting workers from chemical exposures.  Knowing how to select and apply them for a given scenario is not always a straightforward process, but is a fundamental skill for industrial hygienists. However, what should we do if there are no OELs? This presentation answered all of these questions and many more.

My first and only real class in toxicology was in 1976 at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health with the legendary Henry Smyth Jr. Born in 1903 in Eastern PA this country doctor helped grow this specialty field through his family practice. A Senior Fellow at Carnegie Tech and Union Carbide’s Bushy Run Research Lab that along with Thomas Parran (also a Pittsburgher) were contributors to the US Public Health Service and the field of toxicology. Dr. Smyth was also one of the first AIHA presidents and founder of ABIH. One of Dr. Smyth’s many research topics was his Theory of Sufficient Challenge in which he touted the need for individuals to be exposed to small amounts of chemicals and biological agents all through their lives to develop immunities and toxicological tolerances. (Food Cosmet. Toxicol, 5, 51, 1967).  A window to the past! 

The presentation by Drs. Maier and Dotson highlighted key considerations related to :
  1. The OEL development process, 
  2. OEL selection from one of several sources, (OSHA, NIOSH, ACGIH etc.
  3. Alternative OEL methods for chemicals with poor toxicological data, and 
  4. How to implement OELs as part of an overall risk management strategy. 
The materials were presented in an active NPR trivia format to encourage audience participation which it did beautifully. Not to brag (too much) but our team (including Josh, Laura and Matt Z) won the trivia contest and we were awarded a can of Skyline Chile from Cincinnati that I intend to share with my grandkids to begin their “Sufficient Challenge”.

Many thanks are due to Andrew and Scott for their brilliant presentation and to Laura Hallett and Josh Maskrey all from Cardno Chemrisk for putting this program together. 

Oops almost forgot! Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, also known as “Paracelsus” (1493-1541) was a Swiss (German) physician, alchemist and astrologer famous for the saying “Only the dose makes the poison”. Do tell!!!

Frank Pokrykwa
Thank you to meeting sponsors Cardno ChemRisk!  Also thanks to the following members/guests that attended the event:
  • Kelly Albamonti, Westinghouse Electric Co.
  • Lucinette Alvarado, SKC, Inc.
  • Darrick Bertig, FirstEnergy Corp.
  • Pat Carfagna
  • Barb Cummings, AM Health & Safety, Inc.
  • Carol Delfino, SE Technologies, LLC
  • Scott Ecoff, Covestro LLC
  • Tim Feeley, Covestro LLC
  • Joni Ferrara, Kop-Coat, Inc.
  • Zane Frund, MSA Safety
  • Laura Hallett, Cardno ChemRisk
  • Bob Haushalter, Duquesne Univ.
  • Joshua Maskrey, Cardno ChemRisk
  • Adam Mitchell, Koppers
  • Lewis Oh, Mine Safety Appliance
  • Julie Panko, ToxStrategies
  • Frank Pokrywka, KTA-Tator, Inc.
  • Cathie Sayles, Covestro LLC
  • Susan Seger, Westinghouse Electric Co.
  • Sarmed Shareef, University of Pgh. 
  • Adrianne Watkins, Montrose Env.
  • Matt Zock, FedEx Ground
​EVENT SPEAKERS:
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​Andrew Maier, PhD, MS, CIH, DABT - Andy has over 25 years of professional work experience in the areas of environmental health, occupational hygiene, and toxicology. He currently serves as a Senior Managing Health Scientist with Cardno ChemRisk. Prior to joining Cardno ChemRisk, he served as an Associate Professor of Environmental and Industrial Hygiene at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine leading a research program in occupational exposure assessment, toxicology and risk assessment. Prior to joining UC he served as the Director for the non-profit organization Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA). He has a PhD in Toxicology from the University of Cincinnati and MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Michigan. In addition, he is a board certified industrial hygienist (CIH) and toxicologist (DABT).
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Scott Dotson, PhD, MS, CIH, DABT - Scott is a Managing Health Scientist with Cardno ChemRisk with over 15 years of experience in areas of toxicology, industrial hygiene, risk assessment, and occupational health. Much of his career has focused on characterizing exposures and risk associated with workplace exposure to a wide range of chemicals. Prior to joining Cardno ChemRisk, he was employed by NIOSH as a health scientist for over 10 years. He has a Ph.D. in Toxicology and Risk Assessment from the University of South Florida. In addition, he is a board certified industrial hygienist (CIH) and board-certified toxicologist (DABT). Scott is the past chair of the Risk Committee and a member of SOT and SRA.