The following abbreviations are commonly encountered in presentations of laboratory and industrial hazards. The reader is urged to consult the references (Refs. 1 and 2) for additional information.
ABBREVIATION | DEFINITION |
ALARA | As low as reasonably achievable |
ALARP | As low as reasonably practicable |
CC | Closed Cup; method for the measurement of the flash point. With this method, sample vapors are not allowed to escape as they can with the open cup method. Because of this, flash points measured with the CC method are usually a few degrees lower than those measured with the OC. The choice between CC and OC is dependent on the (usually ASTM) standard method chosen for the test. |
COC | Cleveland Open Cup, see OC: Open Cup |
IDLH | Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health; the maximum concentration of chemical contaminants, normally expressed as parts per million (ppm, mass/mass), from which one could escape within 30 minutes without a respirator, and without experiencing any escape impairment (severe eye irritation) or irreversible health effects. Set by NIOSH. Note that this term is also used to describe electrical hazards. |
LEL | Lower Explosion Limit; the minimum concentration of a chemical in air at which detonation can occur. |
LFL | Lower Flammability Limit; the minimum concentration of a chemical in air at which flame propagation occurs. |
MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet; a (legal) document that must accompany any supplied chemical that provides information on chemical content, physical properties, hazards, and treatment of hazards. The MSDS should be considered only a minimal source of information, and cannot replace additional information available in other, more comprehensive sources. (See also SDS (Safety Data Sheet).) |
NOEL | No Observed Effect Level; the maximum dose of a chemical at which no signs of harm are observed. This term can also be used to describe hazards other than chemical hazards, such as electrical hazards. |
OC | Open Cup; also called Cleveland Open Cup. This refers to the test method for determining the flash point of common compounds. It consists of a brass, aluminum or stainless steel cup, a heater base to heat the cup, a thermometer in a fixture, and a test flame applicator. The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a material will form a flammable mixture with air above its surface. The lower the flash point, the easier it is to ignite. |
PEL | Permissible Exposure Level; an exposure limit that is published and enforced by OSHA as a legal standard. The PEL may be expressed as a time-weighted average (TWA) exposure limit (for an 8-hour workday), a 15-minute short-term exposure limit (STEL), or a ceiling (C, or CEIL, or TLV-C). |
REL | Recommended Exposure Level; average concentration limit recommended for up to a 10-hour workday during a 40-hour workweek, by NIOSH. |
RTECS | Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances; a database maintained by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The goal of the database is to include data on all known toxic substances, along with the concentration at which toxicity is known to occur. There are approximately 140,000 compounds listed. |
SDS | Safety Data Sheet; a (legal) document that must accompany any supplied chemical that provides information on chemical content, physical properties, hazards, and treatment of hazards. The SDS should be considered only a minimal source of information, and cannot replace additional information available in other, more comprehensive sources. This document was formerly referred to as the material safety data sheet (MSDS). |
STEL | Short-Term Exposure Level; an exposure limit for a short-term – 15-minute – exposure that cannot be exceeded during the workday, enforced by OSHA as a legal standard. Short-term exposures below the STEL level generally will not cause irritation, chronic or reversible tissue damage, or narcosis. |
TLV | Threshold Limit Value; guidelines suggested by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists to assist industrial hygienists in limiting hazards of chemical exposures in the workplace. |
TLV-C | Threshold Limit Ceiling Value; an exposure limit which should not be exceeded under any circumstances. |
TWA | Time-weighted average concentration for a conventional 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek. It is the concentration to which it is believed possible that nearly all workers can be exposed without adverse health effects. |
UEL | Upper Explosion Limit; the maximum concentration of a chemical in air at which detonation can occur. |
UFL | Upper Flammability Limit; the maximum concentration of a chemical in air at which flame propagation can occur. |
WEEL | Workplace Environmental Exposure Limit; set by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). |
Some abbreviations that are sometimes used on material safety data sheets, safety data sheets, and in other sources, are ambiguous. The most common meanings of some of these vague abbreviations are provided below, but the reader is cautioned that these are only suggestions:
EST | Established; estimated |
MST | Mist |
N/A, NA | Not applicable |
ND | None determined; not determined |
NE | None established; not established |
NEGL | Negligible |
NF | None found; not found |
N/K, NK | Not known |
N/P, NP | Not provided |
SKN | Skin |
TS | Trade secret |
UKN | Unknown |