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' 4 JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS GASOLINE RANGE HYDROCARBONS i The main compound of interest is petroleum range hydrocarbons . Gasoline and its constituents pose health hazards in two major classifications : Ex 1 p osxvity and toxicity. The extreme flammability of gasoline is commonly known. The lower explosion limit (LEL) of gasoline vapor is 1.3 percent in air. If the concentration of gasoline vapor in air. exceeds 1 . 3 percent (13, 000 ppm) and sufficient quantities' of oxygen are present, then the intrcduction; of sufficient heat, spark or. flame will result in an explosion. A lesser known health hazard resulting from exposure to gasoline j is toxicity. Several common constituents of gasoline have been linked to various health problems . The constituents of gasoline that have been shown to cause serious health problems resulting j: from relatively minor exposures include Benzene, Toluene, meta, para and ortho xylenes, Ethyl benzene, and Tetraethyl lead. Typical percentages (by weight) of these constituents in gasoline are : Benzene - 0 . 12-3 . 500, Toluene - 2 . 73-21 . 80°s, meta xylene - { 1 . 77-3 . 870, para xylene - 0 . 77-1 . 5816, ortho xylene - 0 . 68-3 . 686°x, and Ethyl benzene - 0 . 36-2 . 86% . A 'typical percentage of Tetraethyl lead is not available. Units used to describe occupational exposures to hazardous substances include : Exposure limit, also known as "Threshold J Limit Value" (TLV) , Ceiling Limit, and the concentration level that is "Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health" (IDLH) . -The EXPOSURE LIMIT defines the maximum concentration of a. substance to which one can be exposed during an 8 hour period without suffering significant health effects . The CEILING LIMIT is the concentration level that cannot be exceeded at any time. A suitable respirator and/or other suitable breathing apparatus and. body protective equipment must be worn if concentration values reach or exceed the ceiling limit . The IDLH LEVEL represents a maximum concentration from which one could escape within 30 minutes of respirator failure without experiencing escape- impairment or irreversible health damage . The notation "Ca" appears in the IDLH column for all ; substances that NIOSH considers to be potential human carcinogens .