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resulted in birth defects. Inhalation of lower levels (10,000 ppm) had no effect. Exposure of male rats at ppm had no effect. Commonly -used fluoro - ns probably do not affect human reproduction. However, a pregnant woman should minimize her ex- posure to any organic solvent, including fluorocarbons, until their effects have been studied more thoroughly. r Fluorocarbons are mostly eliminated from your body within a day or so. There is no medical or laboratory tut that can accurately measure the amount of fluoro- carbons in your body, or that can identify any damage that fluorocarbons might cause. Therefore, testing is not recommended or legally required. However, itis generally recommended that workers who are frequently exposed to fluorocarbons or other hazardous substances receive a complete physical ex- amination, including an occupational and medical his- tory, at the beginning of employment. Periodic follow- up examinations are also recommended. ifornia's Division of Occupational Safety and calth (DOSH, or Cal/OSHA) sets and enforces workplace chemical exposure limits. CaVOSHA has established workplace Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for some fluorocarbons. Cal/OSHA's PELs for fluorocarbons are listed in the table below. By law, your average exposure during any single 8 -hour workday must not exceed the PEL. Your exposure may legally be above the PEL at times, but only if it is below the PEL at other times, so that your average expo- sure for any 8 -hour workshift is not higher than the PEL. For FC -12 and FC -113, CaVOSHA has also set "excursion" limits which must not be exceeded for more than 30 minutes during any 8-11our work - shift, and "ceiling" limits which must never be ex- edcd at any time. The EIs for fluorocarbons - are usually expressed as "ppm- of the chemical per million parts of air), or sometimes as 3" (milligrams of the chemical per cubic meter of air). PELs have not been estab- lished for infrequently -used fluorocarbons whose potential health effects have not been studied. If you haft any of the symptoms described above while YOU am working with fluorocarbons, you may be ex- posed at more than the legal exposure limits- Talk to your supervisor and/or your union. If any worker might be exposed to a substance at more than the legal limit,exposure the employer must measure the amount of the chemical in the air in the work area (Cal/OSHA regulavon GISO 5155). You have the right to see the results of such monitoring, relevant to your work (California GISO 3204 and US. 29 CFR 1910-20). ij You also have the right to see and copy your own med- ical records and records of your exposure to toxic sub - Stances These records are important in determining whether your health has been affected by your work. If your employers have such records, they must keep them and make them available to you for at least 30 years after the end of your employment. Your employer is required to protect you from being exposed to chemicals at levels above the legal limits. See the "Resources" section on page 4 for information about how CaVOSHA and Cal/OSHA Consultation Service can help you and your employer. Substitution: The most effective way to reduce hazard- ous chemical exposures is to use safer chemicals in place of more dangerous ones. However, the health and safety hazards of other organic solvents must be PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMITS FOR -FLUOROCARBONS Chemical EEL Number Chemical Name Formula ppm me -/m FC -11 trichlorofluoromethane CC13F 1000 5600 FC -12 dichlorodifluoromethane CCl2F2 10000 4950' FC -12B2 dibromodifluoromethane CBr2F2 100 860 FC -13B1 bromotrifluoromethane CBrF3 1000 6100 FC -21 dichlorofluoromC CHC12F 10 42 FC -22 chlotodifluoromethant CHCIF2 1000 3500 FC -112 1,1,2,2-tetrachioro-1,2-difluoroethane CC12FCC12F 500 4170 FC -112a 1,1,1,2-tetrachloro-2,2-difluoroethane CC13CC1F2 500 4170 FC -113 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2- uor a CCI2FCCIF2 10000• 7600" FC -114 1,24chlorotetrafluotoe a CCIF2CC1F2 1000 7000 FC -115 chloropentafluoroethane CCIF5 1000 6320 • The FC -12 "excursion" limit is 2500 ppm; the "ceiling" limit is 6200 ppm. •• The FC -113 "excursion" limit is 1500 ppm; the "ceiling" limit is 2000 ppm.