Chemical pollutants in closed environments of transportation and storage of non-dangerous goods–Insufficient legislation, low awareness, and poor practice in Hungary

Szabolcs Lovas, Orsolya Varga, Tom Loney, Balázs Ádám

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Several chemical pollutants can accumulate within the closed environments of transportation and storage. Pollutants are mainly residues of pesticides, volatile organic compounds and components of diesel exhaust. The study objectives were to (i) review the regulations relevant to occupational chemical exposures in closed environments of inland transportation and storage; and (ii) explore the practice of preventing these exposures. A systematic search and content analysis of international and Hungarian nation legal documents were carried out. In addition, semi-structured interviews with occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals and warehouse managers were conducted. Analysis of legal documents highlighted the lack of explicit regulations on the investigated problem. The 21 interviews revealed that the participants had limited knowledge about the pollutants; they deemed chemical exposure rare and related health effects negligible. The revealed limitations indicate that this field should be more specifically regulated and OHS professionals should be better informed about these workplace hazards.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)473-490
Number of pages18
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Health Research
Volume33
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Occupational chemical exposure
  • closed environments of transportation and storage
  • pesticide residues

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pollution
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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