The development of hygiene standards based on the concept of a limiting level of environmental stress below which there is an acceptably low risk of significant injurious effects, is reviewed. The earliest lists of values met the need for uniform guidance for practising hygienists; the latest standards have the regulatory force of law. The need for well-validated acceptable short-term limits and for methods of detecting the unusually susceptible individual whom the general standard may not protect, is discussed.
展开▼
