Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 1990, publiée 77ème session CIT (1990)

Convention (n° 136) sur le benzène, 1971 - Espagne (Ratification: 1973)

The Committee has taken note of the comments made by the Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Committees (CC.OO) on the application of the Convention and the Government's reply to these comments.

According to the information provided by the CC.OO, a number of workers who work in industries involving exposure to benzene have acquired serious occupational diseases. The Government has responded that workplaces where the exposure to benzene exceeds the maximum exposure limit of 25 parts per million, fixed in section 2 of Resolution No. 6248 of 15 February 1977, are rare. In this regard, the Committee would note that while Article 6, paragraph 2 of the Convention provides that maximum limits shall be set for the concentration of benzene in the air not to exceed a ceiling value of 25 parts per million, paragraph 7(3) of the Benzene Recommendation No. 144 provides that the maximum concentration of benzene in the air should be lowered as soon as possible if medical evidence shows this to be desirable.

The Committee would note that the Convention refers to two types of exposure to benzene: the concentration of benzene in the air which can be a health hazard because of inhalation; and the risks involved in absorbing benzene through the skin when there has been contact with liquid benzene. If a worker is exposed to both liquid benzene and benzene vapour the risk of occupational disease may be higher. Furthermore, according to the information provided by the CC.OO, many of the work processes involving exposure to benzene also involve exposure to other harmful substances, such as mercury. The Government is requested to indicate whether any research has been undertaken concerning the effects of simultaneous exposure to benzene in various forms, or the effects of simultaneous exposure to several harmful substances, and to indicate whether any measures have been proposed to decrease the maximum limit for the concentration of benzene in the air as a result of such considerations.