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Ordering InformationThis document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted. To receive NIOSH documents or other information about occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH atTelephone: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) TTY: 1-888-232-6348 E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov or visit the NIOSH website at www.cdc.gov/niosh.For a monthly update on news at NIOSH, subscribe to NIOSH eNews by visiting www.cdc.gov/ niosh/eNews. , it established the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Through the Act, Congress charged NIOSH with recommending occupational safety and health standards and describing exposure levels that are safe for various periods of employment, including but not limited to the exposures at which no employee will suffer diminished health, functional capacity, or life expectancy because of his or her work experience.
Suggested CitationNIOSHCriteria documents contain a critical review of the scientific and technical information about the prevalence of hazards, the existence of safety and health risks, and the adequacy of control methods. By means of criteria documents, NIOSH communicates these recommended standards to regulatory agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, health professionals in academic institutions, industry, organized labor, public interest groups, and others in the occupational safety and health community.This criteria document is derived from the NIOSH evaluation of critical health effects studies of occupational exposure to diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione. It provides recommendations for controlling workplace exposures including recommended exposure limits derived by using current quantitative risk assessment methodology on human and animal health effects data.Using cross-sectional pulmonary function data from diacetyl-exposed employees, NIOSH conducted assessments to determine the exposure-response relationship and to identify risk of pulmonary function decrease at various levels of diacetyl exposure. NIOSH found that a relationship exists between diacetyl exposures and lower pulmonary function. Utilizing this analysis, NIOSH recommends keeping exposure to diacetyl below a concentration of 5 parts per billion as a time-weighted average during a 40-hour work week. To further protect against effects of short-term exposures, NIOSH recommends a short-term exposure limit for diacetyl of 25 parts per billion for a 15-minute time period.In many operations, 2,3-pentanedione is being u...