Exposure to chemical substances and biological agents by work situationOccupational exposure levels assessment tool
Exposure to chemical substances by work situation .
Version 1.6, online on 08/07/2025 ; calculation module updated on 09/26/2025.
Application developed by the Institut national de recherche et de sécurité pour la prévention des accidents du travail et des maladies professionnelles (INRS).
Access to the INRS website ; read the legal notice.
© Guillaume J. Plisson pour l'INRS, 2014
An article describing occupational exposure levels in the Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing in France between 2010 and 2024 using data from the Colchic database is now available in the Bases de données section of the Hygiène et Sécurité du Travail journal.
This tool contains over 800,000 results of breathing zone and ambient samples of chemical substances and biological agents in the workplace. It is aimed towards anyone wishing to get information on these exposures.
This aim of this tool is to assist in evaluating risks associated with exposures to chemical substances and biological agents in the workplace and is updated yearly.
The results provided in the tool originate from measurements conducted since 1987 by the chemical and biocontaminant laboratories of the French regional insurance funds for occupational diseases and by the INRS research laboratories. They concern air sampling results for appromiatively 430 chemical and biological agents across different families (volatile or semi-volatile organic compounds, aerosols, crystalline silica, metals, acids, bases, polycyclic aromatic compounds, isocyanates, bacteria, molds, toxins, fibres other than asbestos, etc.) measured using standardized collection and analytical methods common to all laboratories listed in the Métropol database.
Queries can be made directly online by describing a work situation or by selecting a chemical substance or biological agent. It is also possible to import a map from other tools developed and maintained by the INRS such as Seirich or Altrex Chimie... Users are responsible for the saving and archiving of data files and queries, as only the functions used to calculate descriptive results are online. The tool produces reports containing statistical analyses, figures, and descriptive tables. For more information: tool 110 tutorial in French.
This tool was last updated on 09/26/2025.
The statistical procedures used in the tool follow those commonly used in the field of occupational exposure assessment and follow the guidelines documented in the Métropol database.
All results provided by this tool represent statistical estimates that require careful analysis and interpretation to derive conclusions that are both useful and applicable to the prevention of occupational chemical and biological risks. End users are the sole persons responsible for the final use of the results provided by the tool, which represent one out of several steps in the management and prevention of occupational risks.
The measurement data originate from exposure assessment activities conducted by the interregional chemical laboratories of the French regional insurance funds for occupational diseases and by the INRS research laboratories. As such, these results may reflect specific exposure circumstances and may not in all cases be representative of average exposures within a given industrial sector.
No data concerning the user and no personal data are collected or stored by the tool. Users are responsible for saving their results on their workstations. The INRS cannot be held liable for any data loss.
The tool is optimized for a screen width of 1,200 pixels or greater.