Endotoxin: From database to measurement strategy

Endotoxin is a well-known toxin which has been associated with several health effects. Many factors influence airborne endotoxin exposure and can cause high variability in exposure between and within workers. Additionally, since the source of endotoxin exposure - gram-negative bacteria - grow and amplify, exposure variability is thought to be larger than for chemical exposure. We therefore explored exposure variability in a database with more than 2,000 endotoxin measurements collected over the last years. Based on the outcomes, the existing measurement strategy for chemical agents, the European standard EN 689, was adapted for endotoxin exposure assessment. This measurement strategy for endotoxin exposure should be seen as a novel method taking the increased exposure variability usually encountered with endotoxin exposure into account. It can be a useful guide for occupational hygienists to assess endotoxin exposure and the probability of exceedance and overexposure in a certain working environment. The emphasis of the strategy is on control measures when the circumstances indicate (elevated) endotoxin exposure.