Technical Bulletin No. 0537: Risks Associated with Dioxin Exposure through Inhalation of Paper Dust in the Workplace

This technical assesses the risk associated with exposure to dioxin through inhalation of paper dust during its manufacture and/or conversion into an end product. The presence of dioxin in some bleached pulp and paper products at the parts per trillion level raised concern about inhalation of paper dust by some employees working in the manufacture or conversion of bleached paper or paperboard renders. This risk assessment combines information on worker practices, paper dust particle size distribution in the work place, inhaled particle fate and dioxin bioavailability to calculate a maximum allowable dioxin toxic equivalence concentration in paper dust associated with a preselected incremental risk level, namely between 0 to 1 in 1,000,000.