What to know
If levels of the flavoring chemicals (diacetyl or 2,3-pentanedione) exceed occupational exposure limits, workplace controls and interventions should be implemented to reduce health risks. Repeated air sampling can help evaluate whether interventions are working as designed.
Recommendations
NIOSH recommends employers take steps to reduce occupational exposures to diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione to below the recommended exposure limits (RELs). The RELs help reduce risks of respiratory impairment and obliterative bronchiolitis, the severe irreversible lung disease associated with occupational exposure to these chemicals.
Best Practices: Engineering Controls, Work Practices, and Exposure Monitoring for Occupational Exposures to Diacetyl and 2,3-Pentanedione provides guidance for reducing workers' exposures to flavoring chemicals. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website Flavorings-Related Lung Disease also provides valuable information related to flavorings.
Hierarchy of Controls
The hierarchy of controls is an approach that groups actions by their likely effectiveness in removing or reducing hazards. Examples of workplace controls and interventions based on the hierarchy of controls include:
- Eliminate exposures by not using diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione when possible.
- Substitute by using less hazardous chemicals. This step should be completed after carefully evaluating potential substitutes for toxicity.
- Use engineering controls such as closed systems, isolation, or local exhaust ventilation.
- Establish administrative controls and training for work practices that minimize exposure.
- Use personal protective equipment. This should be done in addition to engineering and administrative controls.
Proper respiratory protection requires a comprehensive respiratory protection program and a high level of employee and management involvement and commitment. This assures the following:
- Respirators are worn when they are needed.
- The right type of respirator is chosen for each hazard.
- Well-fitting respirators are worn and maintained in proper condition.
It is also important to monitor workplace exposures and the status of workers' health. This includes tracking potential symptoms or cases and reporting to NIOSH and state health departments.
Workers exposed to flavoring chemicals should have their lung function checked regularly by their healthcare provider to help detect abnormalities that may be work-related.