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resulted in birth defects. 'on of lower levels "ppm"(puts of the chemical per million parts of air), (10,000 ppm)had no effect. Exposure of male rats at or sometimes as 3"(milligrams of the chemical ppm had no effect. only-used fluoro- per cubic meter of air). PELs have not beta cstab- us probably do not affect human reproduction. fished for infrequently-usedtcs have fluorocarbons whose However,a pregnant should i her ex- potential health effects have not been studied posure to any organic solvent,including fluorocarbons, If have any of the symptoms descrnibed above whsle until their effects have been studied more thoroughly. u may be cx- you are workingwith=flu y° y Talk to posed at more than the legal ' urc TESTS FOR EXPOSURE OR your supervisor and/or your union. If any worker MEDICAL EFFECTS might be exposed to a substance at;more than the legal exposure limit,the employer must measure the amount Fluorocarbons am mostly eliminated from your body of the chemical in the air in the work area(Cal/OSHA within a day or so. There is no medical or laboratory regulation GISO 5155). You have the right to see the test that can accurately measure the amount of fluoro- (California of such monitoring relevant to your work ij carbons in your body,or that can' any (California WO 3204 and U.S.24 CFR 1910."). that fluorocarbons might cause. Therefore,testing is You also have the right to see and copy your own mad- not recommended or legally required. ical records and records of your exposure to toxic sub- However,it is generally recommended that workers stances. These records are important in determining to fluorocarbons or other whether your health has been affected by your work. If who are frequently exposed your em I rs have such records,they most keep hazardous substances receive a complete physical ex- Yo P amination,including an occupational and medical<his- them and make them available to you for at least 30 tory,at the beginning of employment. Periodic follow- years after the end of your employment. up examinations are also recommended. REDUCING YOUR EXPOSURE LEGAL EXPOSURE LIMITS Your employer is required to protect you from being f lifornia's Division of Occupational Safety and exposed to chemicals at levels above the legal fimim t`Walth(DOSH,or Cal/OSHA)sets and enforces See the"Resources"section on page 4 for information about how CaVOSHA and Cal/OSHA Consultation workplace chemical exposure limits. Service can help you and your employer. Cal/OSHA has established workplace Permissible Exposure limits(PFTs)for some fluorocarbons. Substitution: The most effective way to reduce hazard- Exposure PELs for fluorocarbons are listed in the oars chemical exposures is to use safer chemicals in table below. By law,your average exposure during any place of more dangerous ones. However,the health single 8-hour workday must not exceed the PEL. Your and safety hazards of other organic solvents must be exposure may legally be above the PEL at times, PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMITS FOR'FLUOROCARBONS but only if it is below the Chemical PEL PEL at other times,so Formula ppm mg/m3 that your avenge expo- Number Chemical Name sure for any 8-hour FC-11 trichlorofluoromethane CC13F 1000 5600 workshift is not higher FC-12 dichlorodifluoromethane CW2 10000 4450• than the PEL. FC-12B2 dibromodifluoromethane CBr2F2 100 860 FC-13B1 bromotrifluoromethane CBrF3 1000 6100 For FC-12 and FC-113, FC-21 dichlorofluoromethaae CHC12F 10 42 CaVOSHA has also set FC-22 chlorodifluoromethanc CHC1F2 1000 3500 "ercursi®n"limits which FC-112 1,1,2,2-tetrachloro-1,2-dinuoroethane CC12FCO2F 500 4170 must not be exceeded for FC-112a 1,1,1,2-tetrachloro-2,2-difluorocthane CC13CCiF2 500 4170 more than 30 minutes FC-113 1,1,2-trichloro-1,Z,2-trifluoroethane CCI2FCC1F2 10000' 7600" during any&hour work- FC-114 1,2-dichloreretrafluoroethanc CCIF2CC1F2 1000 7000 shift,and"ceiling"limits FC-115 chloropentafluoroethane CCIFS 1000 6320 which must never be ex- ceeded at any time. The • The FC-12"excursion"limit is 2.500 ppm;the"ceiling"limit it 6200 ppm. ELs for fluorocarbons ••The FC-113"excursion"limit is 1500 ppm;the"ceiling"limit is 2000 ppm. arc usually expressed as 3