Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) in a Wet Assay and Fire Assay Laboratory (WAFAL) - A Study Semi-Quantitatively Assessing 11 Chemicals

Sep 21, 2026

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Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) addresses health risks posed by diverse laboratory chemicals used in wet assay and fire assay operations. This study semi-quantitatively evaluated the health risk levels of 11 chemicals applied in WAFAL, assessing both inhalation and dermal exposure routes. Seven chemicals were identified as hazardous via inhalation and eight via dermal contact, with three hazardous to both. Inhalation results showed six moderate-risk and one low-risk chemical. Dermal contact produced six high-risk and two moderate-risk outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Hazard rating (HR)

Exposure rating (ER)

Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) in a Wet Assay and Fire Assay Laboratory (WAFAL) Arif Susanto1,2*, Mila Tejamaya3, Roro N Wulan4 and Edi K Putro2 1Doctorate Program in Environmental Science, School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia 2Department of Health Safety and Environmental, Division of Concentrating, PT Freeport Indonesia, Indonesia 3Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia 4Department of Chemical, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo, Indonesia *Corresponding Author: Arif Susanto, Doctorate Program in Environmental Science, School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia. Received: August 05, 2020 Published: September 21, 2020 © All rights are reserved by Arif Susanto., et al. Abstract Numerous chemicals with a variety of characteristic can be found in every laboratory, including in quality control in a wet assay and fire assay laboratory (WAFAL) . Contact with those chemicals might pose health risks to workers and therefore this should be carefully controlled. Thus, chemical health risk assessment (CHRA) needs to be performed in any laboratory in order to recognize, assess, and control the risks arising from these chemicals. This study was aimed to semi-quantitatively assess the level of chemicals health risks from 11 chemicals that were used in WAFAL. Both the inhalation and dermal route of entry were evaluated. 7 chemicals were found as hazardous to inhalation route of entry, 8 chemicals to dermal contact, and three of them both hazardous to inhalation and dermal route of entry. Through inhalation, it was found that six chemicals were at moderate risk, and one chemical at low risk to human health. On the other hand, high health risks were shown by dermal contact of six chemicals, and other two chemicals were at moderate risk. Keywords: CHRA; Chemical Risk; Laboratory; Risk Rating; Wet Assay; Fire Assay Introduction For employees working in a laboratory, chemicals are vital components inseparable from the working environment. They are used in analyzing copper and gold in ore and concentrates. Quality control (QC) [1,2], involves the use of most chemicals in the process of wet assay [3,4] and fire assay (Hoffman., et al. 1998; Sketchley, 1998). Workers may be exposed to hazards at any time, and, thus, carefulness and appropriate procedures are necessary to minimize detrimental effects on health [5] . An effective method applied to minimize detrimental health effects involves carrying out a Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) [6], which is an evaluation concerned with how hazardous chemicals are used in the workplace [7] . This technique is further applicable to their production, processing, handling, storage, transportation, movement, disposal, and management. This assessment evaluates the utility of chemicals and their health risk [8] . Protecting workers from the adverse effect of chemicals is a major task for employers under Law Number 1/1970 concerning Occupational Safety and Health. This involves the identification, evaluation, and control of any risky health factors associated with work that involves the use of chemicals. Employers obligated to assess potential health risks [9]. The decision to ensure appropriate action will depend on the risk rating of health and this is dependent Citation: Arif Susanto., et al.“Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) in a Wet Assay and Fire Assay Laboratory (WAFAL)”. Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 4.10 (2020): 91-101. 92 on the CHRA, which then guides the decision on appropriate control steps [5,6], including induction and training, the need to organize monitoring programs against exposure (Zainon and Ghazali, 2009), and the need for medical control programs as well [10] . They have the objective to identify resulting hazards, evaluate exposure ratesand sufficiency of existing control acti

FAQs

What is the purpose of a Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) in WAFAL?

CHRA is used to recognize, assess, and control health risks arising from laboratory chemicals, including how hazardous chemicals are used and managed in workplace activities.

Which exposure routes were evaluated for the 11 chemicals in this study?

The study evaluated both inhalation and dermal routes of entry.

How were risk levels determined in the CHRA method used here?

Risk rating was assessed as a function of hazard rating (HR) and exposure rating (ER), with ER estimated semi-quantitatively using frequency-duration and intensity-magnitude ratings.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya