Governing Occupational Exposure Using Thresholds: A Policy Biased Toward Industry

Strongly grounded in scientific knowledge, the instrument known as occupational exposure limits or threshold limit values has changed government modalities of exposure to hazardous chemicals in workplaces, transforming both the substance of the problem at hand and the power dynamics between the actors involved. Some of the characteristics of this instrument favor the interests of industries at the expense of employees, their representatives, and the authorities in charge of regulating these risks. First, this instrument can be analyzed as a boundary object that has very different uses in space and time. In particular, it is increasingly masking its industrial origins to appear as an instrument that is almost exclusively based on scientific rationale. In the case of asbestos and its substitutes, the use of an instrument relying on scientific expertise generates a specific temporality of implementation that allows manufacturers to take advantage of periods during which regulations are either nonexistent or very loose. Finally, the choice of a technoscientific definition of the issues contributes to shifting the negotiations to a field where companies are in a position of strength and their opponents are weakened.

New way of definition of an androstenon

By means of "an electronic nose" the problem of detection in salted pork fat of an androstenon is solved, even small concentration of which negatively affect consumer appeal of a product. The massif from eight differently selective gas sensors is applied to detecting of an androstenon. The massif is previously trained on easily volatile compounds of various classes (alcohols, ketones, water, nitrogen-containing connections). Significant differences in analytical signals of the massif of sensors at the maintenance of an androstenon in model test of salted pork fat at the level of 0.5 threshold limit values are established. Except an androstenon in crude salted pork fat also early signs of damage and also the overestimated moisture content are reliably fixed. Changes in test of salted pork fat at violation of storage conditions also authentically are registered a set of sensors though at the same time changes in color and a salted pork fat smell by tasters are not recorded. establishments of subtle differences in a smell of tests of salted pork fat are calculated parameters A (i/j) which are qualitative criteria of piezo-quartz microweighing. Parameters allow to identify in mix of substance and to track significant changes in structure of an equilibrium gas phase over tests. Responses of sensors with the modifiers sensitive to damage biomarkers are informative: alcohols, acids, ketones, nitrogen - and sulfur-containing connections while presence and the maintenance of an androstenon fix sensors with the modifiers sensitive to aromatic and cyclic hydrocarbons. A lot of the tests necessary for the analysis with double repetition did not exceed 5 g, measurement time – 60 with, the volume of an equilibrium gas phase of 5 cm3, an error – 10%. The analyzer of gases is reliable and easy-to-work.)

Assessment of nitrates content in vegetables grown in South Kazakhstan Region (Shymkent city)

One of the most important goals in the sphere of food safety is quality assurance and production of safe food. Nowadays studies devoted to determination of nitrates content in locally produced plant products are of very high priority. Many researches on the influence of nitrates on human health prove that nitrates are one of the external threat sources. Mineral fertilizers can cause harm if improperly stored or used. The authors give comparative characteristics for nitrites content in plant products contrasting regulatory documents in European Union and Customs Union. They point out threshold limit values and their influence on human body. In some samples of cucumbers nitrates content exceeded threshold limit values. Long nitrate consumption even in small amounts is one of the important chemical risk factors for the population health as it decreases organism resistance to the influence of such external environmental factors as ecological and social ones. The research was carried out in South Kazakhstan Region. To conduct the research the authors took the samples of locally produced plant products. They determined the levels of nitrates content in the main local food products, assessed the risks of harmful impact of the controlled nitrates which come with plant products grown in South Kazakhstan Region. The results show that it is necessary to carry out constant control to ensure foodstuff safety. The authors classified food products according to their contribution to the total exposure value. Thus, the authors found out that among locally produced vegetables potato and cabbage had the highest values (61.16% and 12.1% respectively). HQmed and HQ90 values were less than 1. The authors pointed out the main ways to reduce nitrates content in plant products in the article.